The Other Kind of Evil
by kavi-sama
Summary: What's the only thing worse than Voldemort? A female Dark Lord hell bent on conquering the world before her rival does while dealing with her idiotic minions, dreadful past and Oreo addiction. Meet Lord Psycho. [HBP. Many OCs. Wordcount isn't THAT scary.]
1. Chapter 1: She Who Must Be Obeyed

_Please excuse the excessive bolding/underlining/italicizing, but it's neccesary to gee the point across since I can't use a heapin' helpin' of exclamation points and question marks. - kavi_

Chapter One – She Who Must Be Obeyed

Once upon a time last week, in a remote part of the Himalayas, there was a huge, black, evil, foreboding citadel built into the side of a mountain. Said citadel was very Old Gothic-y looking and had many turrets, towers, gargoyles, windows, balconies, and dragon housing lots. Yes, this was no ordinary citadel. This citadel happened to belong to one of the most feared, the most hated, the most evil people the Magical World has ever heard of…or not.

In fact, hardly any of the Magical World had ever heard of this evil creature. In a more specific fact, only seven people had ever heard of this foul monster, besides family. But, unfortunately enough for the residents of this citadel, they were all about to hear _from_ the nefarious fiend.

"**_WHERE IS IT?_**" a high, cold, evil female voice shrieked, loud enough to hear all the way in Britain.

"I-I'm sorry, Master, but I –" a male voice stammered quietly, and more than a bit fearfully.

"**_HOW could you lose it?_**" the woman screamed again. "_It's not a hard thing to keep track of_!"

The screaming female was this satanic overlord I keep mentioning; Lord Psychosis Dragotia, or just Lord Psycho for short. She was a 5'9'', pale-skinned, slim woman of pure witch blood. Stick-straight, raven-haired and gold-with-red-center-and-outer-rimmed eyed, Lord Psycho could be said to be considerably attractive when not angry. But that was not the case this day as her fiery eyes blazed and her long hair flew around as she paced furiously.

"I-I don't know, I just left it on the table and walked away for a second, and when I came back it was gone!" the cowering man before Lord Psycho explained, trying to calm his Master.

He was about 4 inches shorter than his master, but only because she was so tall and he was 5'5''. He wore all black. His clothes underneath his long black hooded robe were black, his elegant leather gloves were black, and his 'headwrap' was black, too. He only wore said headwrap because he wished to conceal his identity to all but Lord Psycho, so all he ever showed to the world were his piercing light blue eyes. He carried a wand that was 11 inches long, made of oak and contained a unicorn hair, but he was in the process of learning how to do magic without one, like Lord Psycho. He was her second-in-command, her Top Spy, her 'servant', and her friend. But, for his desire to remain anonymous, she called him Evil Minion, because that's exactly what he was. _(Evil Minion will be known as "EM" everywhere except dialogue from this point forward.)_

"_So you're telling me it just got up and walked away?_" Lord Psycho snapped at EM, still not regaining the good mood she had every day until she woke up and got out of bed. EM winced a bit at the yelling he was receiving, but continued after a small sigh.

"No, Master, because it doesn't have any legs." he said calmly. "To tell you the truth, I haven't the faintest idea where it went, or if someone took it or some…thing…" he trailed off, realizing by the look on her face that Lord Psycho was about to explode.

"**_WHAT KIND OF EVIL MINION ARE YOU?_**" she roared at him. "**_HOW HARD IS IT TO KEEP TRACK OF A BAG OF OREOS FOR TWO MINUTES WHILE I CHECK MY EMAIL?_**"

"…N….Not hard?" EM suggested in a small voice. He hated it when he made Lord Psycho mad. _She **really **needs some anger management counseling…_ he thought to himself, smirking inwardly.

"_EXACTLY!_" his Master screamed at him. She paused to think for a moment. Then she turned on her heel and walked to her 'throne', long black cloak billowing in her wake. She sat down in the large, comfy, silver, red, and black chair. She leaned back and stroked her chin thoughtfully. This 'throne' greatly improved her "evil look" when she sat in it. It was very high-backed, had a black leather seat with elegant yet sinister red embroidering around the edges, and a silver frame with many different Dragon and flame designs carved into it at strategic locations. It looked this way because Lord Psycho had custom-ordered it from Lay-Z-Boy.

She let her eyes wander around the room; from the black marble floors, to the domed ceiling with the circular Dragon-Hatch, to the red and white marble walls, to the black Gothic iron candelabras dotted about the room, to the huge stained-glass "wall" before her, to the two doorways on either side of the stained-glass leading to the other parts of the citadel, to the door that led to a small balcony outside, and to the few steps that led up to her little "throne platform."

She set her creepy eyes upon her underling. "I've just been pondering who could have stolen my Oreos, and, likely, have eaten them. " She paused, as if finished.

"….And?" EM asked tentatively, not sure if Lord Psycho was going to reenact Mt. St. Helens again or not.

"…And it was either Maxu or Sakura." She finished matter-of-factly.

"What about Schlange?"

"Schlange hates everything that doesn't have meat in it."

"…Oh, right. Shall I get Sakura for you, Master?"

"Yes, Evil Minion, you do that…I need to ponder some things I'm going to do to the fool who ate my cookies…."

While Lord Psycho started her pondering, EM took out his wand and conjured up a small black glassy oval in the air with the words, "_Per oculus_. "

"Show me Sakura Hikaru." he spoke to the odd apparition. The black surface started to gain color, and after mixing and moving the pigment around, formed an image. The scene was this: a young Japanese girl with sky blue, bubblegum-pink-streaked, glittery hair was frolicking in a meadow with a multitude of fluffy creatures such as kittens, puppies, bunnies, and other disgustingly cute things. She was wearing a pale pink Japanese kimono with a flower design on it. The grass was green and welcoming with tiny white daises dotting the carpet of earth. The sky was bright blue with puffy, marshmallow clouds and singing birds floating on the gentle breeze. Her bright purple eyes sparkled with laughter.

EM watched this for a moment, expression unchanging, and said with a flick of the wand, "_Per os._" A handheld-sized, cone-shaped, glossy black object appeared in reach of EM's hand. He grabbed it and looked at the flat bottom part, which was covered in what looked like miniscule chainmesh and was pulled taut over the top. He put it close to his mouth, took a deep breath and –

"**_WAKE UP!_**" he shouted into the mesh-like part. An ear-piercing screech resonated throughout the citadel. The black oval with the image in it had changed: instead of showing Sakura in the peaceful meadow, she was sitting bolt upright in her bed with frizzy, messed up hair and wearing ducky pajamas. She was breathing heavily and looked quite startled.

"HOW many times do I have to tell you," she gasped. "Don't _EVER_ do that to me!" She looked very distraught. She rubbed her eyes and yawned widely.

"Lord Psycho would like a word with you." EM said into the mesh again, this time more calmly.

"Fine." Sakura muttered groggily. "Give me a minute to change and I'll be right there."

EM didn't blink.

"That means you turn off your little TV screen!" Sakura snapped at the wall as she got out of bed.

"I just wanted to make sure you weren't going to flop back onto your bed and go back to sleep, like you always do." EM said before dismissing the image and the cone-shaped object with a wave of his gloved hand. He gave a small sigh and turned to face his Master. Lord Psycho was standing outside on a balcony overlooking her part of the Himalayas. He walked over near the massive windows and stopped where the balcony started. Lord Psycho didn't move.

"Is she coming?" she asked, sounding only half concerned with the matter.

"Yes. She needs to change first." EM replied. Lord Psycho looked over her magnificent view. The snowy peaks of the tallest mountains higher up than her citadel, a forest-filled valley miles below, and the dwarfing Mt. Everest in the distance were over half of the reasons she chose to have her citadel built there. It was remote enough so that no non-magic person could reach her and live to tell about it, and any magical being that could wouldn't know she was there anyhow. And she liked the mountains; they made her feel secure, and she had more privacy than she knew what to do with. It may have been cold and snowy nearly all year round, but Lord Psycho was actually more comfortable in lower temperatures. And the innumerable cliffs and valleys made it a perfect place to raise winged dragons – they had plenty of flying space. And the creatures that lived in the lush valleys a bit farther south than her home were perfect game for the dragons. Lord Psycho had a thing for raising her own personal Grand Army of Dragons, and for the dragons in general.

Several minutes later, Sakura appeared in the grand doorway. "I'm here!" she said cheerily, despite the overall theme of Lord Psycho's mood. She turned around to see Sakura fully out-dressed in an orange plaid miniskirt, glittery purple halter-top, high-heeled sandals, and her sparkly hair in pigtails. "And, if it couldn't be too much to ask, could I have some breakfast, please? I'm _really_ hungry."

"Well, you should be. It's one o' clock in the afternoon and you were awake until 5 in the morning last night." Lord Psycho paused to let her point sink in. "What _were_ you doing all that time anyway?"

"Uhh…Nothing! Nothing at all!" she gave a nervous laugh, but cut it short when she saw the look Lord Psycho was giving her.

"Right." The evil woman muttered as she meandered over to her throne. As she sat down, she asked her young Master of Communications, "So, have you possibly seen any bags of Oreo cookies lying around anywhere?"

"Erm, no. Why?"

"Because _dear_ Evil Minion here seems to have misplaced mine." At that comment, EM seemed to shrink a little with aggravation at getting blamed for all of this. _It's just one bag of Oreos! You have plenty enough money to get 100 more!_

But, pity the fool, EM forgot that his Master was an _extremely _experienced and powerful Legilimens, and heard as soon as his thought was finished, "I will deal with _you_ later, Minion. But for now, it's Sakura's turn to possibly be yelled at." She paused to let that sink in as well. "Continue."

"Well, the only Oreos I've seen recently were the ones you were snacking on like, 2 weeks ago." Sakura said, sounding a bit confused as to why Lord Psycho was interrogating her about a lost bag of Oreos.

There was a long pause in which Lord Psycho just stared at Sakura, searching her thoughts to detect the truth. "You're not lying."

"Of course not." Sakura said indignantly, and then suddenly wishing she hadn't as she remembered her master's bad mood. "Oh, I um, I-I didn't -"

"Shut up." Lord Psycho snapped at her irritably. After a short pause to mutter to herself "They're just idiots, you're perfectly sane, just idiots who don't remember how much pain you could make them go through with a single word…", Lord Psycho said to Sakura, who was now quite nervous that she was in for it, "You said you were hungry, correct?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"Edgar!" she shouted to no one in particular. In a matter of moments, a well-dressed British-looking ghost floated in through the wall. He was wearing a black suit, complete with coattails, a dark green tie, white dress shirt, and silver-with- green-embroidery vest. He also wore a singularly classy monocle. His slicked-back, transparent hair appeared silver and his eyes were a clear blue.

"You shouted?" he asked, smirking only slightly.

"Make Sakura some breakfast, would you?" Lord Psycho said to the ethereal butler.

"As you wish." Edgar said as he floated calmly out the door. She watched the ghost of her butler disappear, and then turned to address EM.

"Well, this means it was Maxu's doing." She said. Sakura's ears perked up.

"What?" she asked with sudden interest.

"Well," EM said patiently, "Lord Psycho deduced that it was either you or D'maxucoma that stole and likely ate her Oreos, and since you didn't see them, that means Maxu did it. _You're_ free of charge."

"Oh." She said quietly before adding as an afterthought, "I wonder why he would steal Psycho's cookies?"

"That's _LORD_ Psycho, to you." She herself said loudly.

"Sorry!" the girl peeped.

"Well, while you're standing there, where _is_ Maxu?"

"Um, I don't know. I haven't seen him in a few days…" she said sadly.

"Well, do you know where he might have went to?"

"Not really."

"How sad. Evil Minion!"

"Yes, Lord Psycho?"

"Search the citadel for Maxu."

"Right." EM said before running out of the room to do just what Lord Psycho had told him to. Meanwhile, Edgar had returned with Sakura's breakfast. It was bacon and eggs.

"But, but…" she started, starting to become almost teary-eyed.

"Oh, what now?" Lord Psycho asked with an exasperated sigh.

"I wanted rice. Or miso, or something…but not _this_!" Sakura whined.

"Ungrateful, 'annie-may'-obsessed teenager…" Lord Psycho muttered. "Well, too bad. That's what Edgar made, that's what you'll eat, unless you want to go make breakfast yourself."

Sakura sighed. "All right. I'll have this. I don't really like eggs that much, but since I'm really hungry…"

"Yes, and if they had left it under the chicken much longer it would've lived. Now eat it." Lord Psycho snapped, still in a foul mood.

Sakura stopped short. She stared at the eggs on her plate and thought about what her 'friend' had just said. "Awww, thanks a lot! Now I can't eat them!"

"_Why not?_"

"Because you made me feel bad."

"**_WHY?_"**

"You reminded me that they could have lived if I hadn't complained that I was hungry!" She paused. "And now I can't eat them."

Lord Psycho let out a long, frustrated sigh. She rubbed her temple to try to ease her new headache. "Edgar."

Her butler wandered in through the wall once again.

"Yes?" he asked, looking a bit tired of the teenager's complaints.

"Make Sakura some rice to shut her up."

"Yes, my Lord." Before he left with the rejected plate of food he said to himself very crossly, "I've forgotten why I _bother_..."

Lord Psycho sighed heavily, closed her eyes, and leaned back in her throne once more. Just as she opened her eyes again, EM came back into the room, looking like he had just ran a long way, which he had.

"Maxu isn't here, my Lord." He said, gasping for breath.

"Mm, pity." she said nonchalantly. "Did you Ask Jeeves?"

"Just what I was about to do." At that, EM said "_Accio Laptop!_" and his state-of-the-art computer appeared in his hands. He turned it on and connected to the Internet. Or tried to. "Curse this foul dial-up connection…"

"I second that." Lord Psycho muttered as she listened to the ungodly racket that was the Dial-up Sound. After many minutes of the torture that was listening to the horrid noise, Lord Psycho finally said, "All right already! Just use mine, I have Broadband." She motioned to the doorway to her right, and said simply, "It's in the second room on the left. If you find anything promising, print it out."

EM walked into the room and found her top-notch, high-tech computer with enough power to shame Bill Gates. Most things related to Muggles were greatly disliked by Lord Psycho, but computers, email and the Internet were very special exceptions. EM sat down in the comfy leather swivel chair and opened up Internet Explorer. He typed in the address and up came the Ask Jeeves homepage in 0.0031 seconds flat.

_Wow. Nice connection._ he thought to himself. He typed in "Earl Cromley", Maxu's real name, and came up with only one legitimate result. It was for some American school, and according to them he used to be a student there and lived in Los Angeles. He then did exactly what Lord Psycho had told him to; he printed it out. But, sadly enough for everyone, Lord Psycho's printer was fairly old and slow, so it took 2 full minutes to print the thing out. As she listened to her feeble machine printing, she muttered to herself, "Note to self: Tell Evil Minion to buy new printer." After doing said printing-out, EM gave the paper to his Master.

"….Hmmm. This is interesting. L.A., eh? Contact this Earl Cromley and see if he's the one who ate my cookies…And order a new printer while you're at it!" she instructed. And he did so.

"The new printer is on it's way, and yes, this is the Maxu we're familiar with." EM said after only a few more minutes on Lord Psycho's computer.

"And is he coming?"

"Yes. I told him you were exceptionally peeved at him."

"Oh goody."

Not a moment after she uttered those words, a loud crack was heard in the large chamber and Lord Psycho saw Maxu standing in the middle of the doorway looking aggravated. He was about 2 inches shorter than Lord Psycho, tanned, bleach-blonde-haired, and was wearing very casual clothes; a blue t-shirt that read "If you choke a Smurf what color will it turn?", baggy blue jeans, and red Converse shoes.

"Couldn't be bothered to dress up a bit, could we?" Lord Psycho said conversationally after a pause.

"Well, you caught me on short notice." He said grumpily.

"_**HI MAXU!**"_ Sakura squealed as she leapt onto his back playfully. How she accomplished such a feat in 2.5-inch heels was beyond any of them.

Unfortunately, she hadn't realized that her arms were wrapped around his neck just a bit too tight. The 19-year-old's gasps for air didn't seem to give her any hints, so Lord Psycho herself decided to step in and save her Grand General's life. With a flick of her hand Sakura went flying off his back and onto her butt on the cold hard floor.

"Oowww!" she moaned. "What was _that_ for?"

"Maxu is the only one here who knows how to cook well. He's too valuable to let you choke." Lord Psycho said coldly.

"Edgar can cook too…" she muttered, rubbing her sore bottom as she got up.

"Yes, but that's why I said Maxu can cook _well_."

At that moment, the butler was returning with Sakura's cherished rice. He somewhat shoved the bowl into her hands, said stiffly, "Enjoy." and turned to face his master. "Anything _else_?"

"Thank you Edgar, that's all." She said, more pleasantly than she had been to her other minions because she knew he had heard her say he wasn't that great of a cook, which was unfortunately the truth.

"_Anyways_…" Maxu said more than a little irritably. "Why are you pissed at me again?"

Lord Psycho turned her attention to him once again. "Actually, as of right now I'm not mad at you at all. Before I get mad at you I have to ask you a few questions."

"Whatever it was, I didn't do it! I swear!" he said, almost starting to panic. "I've been in L.A. since Sunday! Ask any of my friends!"

"…You went to L.A. to visit your friends without telling anyone?" EM said in near disbelief.

"Yeah, so?" Maxu replied in a 'wutcha gonna do, punk!' tone despite the fact that EM was 4 years older, much wiser, and a lot stronger than himself. Had he spoken to Lord Psycho like that, he'd have had to be rushed to the medical wing.

"Well I'm a bit concerned because I was starting to think you'd been captured or killed." He replied icily. "If I hadn't found you thanks to the Internet we probably would've sent out a searching party, and they could've been seen, caught or killed. And that would've been a sad waste of lives if we had found out afterwards you'd been screwing around in California."

Lord Psycho stared at the cloaked man standing to the side of her throne out of the corner of her eye. She was impressed with how he was handling the situation. Maxu was highly skilled in strategy and so made a good Grand General in control of the human army, as well as a phenomenal cook and an incredibly funny comedian, but he was an arrogant little bastard the rest of the time. Lord Psycho was usually the only one who could keep him in line, but lately EM had started gaining control over him as well. The woman was actually quite proud of EM for berating Maxu just as she would have.

"I wasn't 'screwing around', I was visiting the people I haven't seen in almost a year." Maxu replied, starting to lose his temper, which was too easy for him to do; another negative aspect of the young man. "If you had friends from your childhood that you no longer live remotely near to, you'd want to pay them a visit once in a while too. That is, if you wanted them to stay your friends."

"Well, whatever you were doing doesn't matter. The point is we didn't know where the hell you were, so don't do it again, 'kay?" Lord Psycho said almost nonchalantly before EM could start again. "The reason I needed you here was because a bag of my Oreos has gone missing. Evil Minion was watching them and the moment he took his eyes off them they were gone. Sakura didn't do it, Edgar doesn't eat anything, Schlange hates Oreos, and I obviously would've known if Evil Minion was lying about losing them and ate them himself."

"I don't even like Oreos…" EM murmured.

"I haven't seen 'em. Didn't eat 'em either. Sorry I can't help." Maxu said, more respectfully. "Like I said, I've been in L.A. for the past 3 days."

"You could've apparated like you did just a minute ago." His master pointed out as she threw a glance to EM.

"I didn't hear anything before or after they disappeared." EM admitted. "And you can't apparate silently."

"See? Told you I was innocent." Maxu said confidently.

"Well, congratulations, but I still want to know what happened to my Oreos." Lord Psycho said. She was no longer angry, just very confused and very curious. How could they have vanished by themselves? "Anyone have any ideas?"

The underlings looked at each other, shrugged and said almost in unison, "Nope."

Their master sighed. "I wonder if Schlange knows anything about this…" Just as she was about to ask someone to go find him, a loud, steady wing beat was heard, and it was approaching the 'throne room'. Sakura was immediately startled, and Maxu looked puzzled. EM didn't seem to have changed emotions, and Lord Psycho was still perfectly calm. When the noise was directly above them, the Dragon-Hatch's lock clicked open and the heavy metal plate slid away. A long, slender dragon head appeared, followed by an even longer serpentine neck. The dragon's scales were a dark metallic-y gray, and it had burning red eyes. Two curved ram-like horns sprouted from the back of its skull, and they were silvery, like the claws that appeared next around the opening of the Hatch. A red crest of feathery fur trailed from the crown of its skull down its neck and back to the tip of its tail outside. The neck was vertical, and the head was bent looking around like an upside-down periscope. The eyes scanned the room until they spotted Lord Psycho.

"Am I missing something?" the dragon asked in perfect English.

"Actually, Schlange, I was just going to send someone to look for you." Lord Psycho replied to her favorite dragon. "Would you happen to know what happened to a bag of Oreos I've been munching on? It's gone missing, and no one here knows anything about it."

EM felt a wave of relief that his master was no longer pointing out that it was his fault they'd been lost. He hated it when he made her mad because she was exceptionally mean when she was unhappy. Normally, she was actually quite pleasant to be around, despite her eccentric behavior.

Schlange looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, "Not that I recall. And my memory's better than all of yours combined." He motioned with a nod of his head to all the humans in the room. Maxu rolled his eyes; he hated it when the dragon acted like he was better than them. If he had ever told anyone about those feelings, he would've received a reply to the effect of "you should talk" or "why don't you go look in a mirror."

"Hmm. This is frustrating." The woman muttered, slouching into her throne more. "If it wasn't anyone here then it must have been someone _else_…an outsider…"

"But the alarm system would've let us know if someone got in." EM said, starting to worry. "Do you think there's something wrong with it? Or, someone disabled it?"

"Who in the world would go through all the trouble of disabling an alarm system for a bag of Oreos!" Sakura blurted.

"If it was an enemy spy and they managed to get in, they might have taken something small like my Oreos to taunt us because they managed to infiltrate our base." Lord Psycho said grimly. "Or to say, 'that was too easy, improve your security.'" She looked very aggravated now.

"…Maybe they were just hungry." Maxu suggested.

"Doubtful, but still a possibility." EM admitted before sighing and leaning against the red marble of the wall. Lord Psycho called in Edgar once again, and this time he seemed to be less irritable.

"Check all the alarm systems. I want to make sure someone didn't break in here, even if it was just for some Oreos." Lord Psycho instructed him. He gave an affirmative and started floating away, but halted when a voice resonated throughout the room.

"Never mind that, Edgar. Not necessary at all." The voice said in amusement. "That's enough for today, I think."

As soon as the voice stopped, they heard footsteps approaching the throne area from an undisturbed corner. Tension hung in the air like a fog. Obviously, _someone_ had made it into the citadel unnoticed. The disembodied voice was garbled by the echoes that bounced off the marble floor and walls, but something about it was recognizable by everyone there.

"Show yourself." Lord Psycho demanded in a tone that no one in their right mind would disobey.

Surprisingly, the voice laughed. "All right, all right…" it said as if it was giving up something it found rather fun. "I'll stop toying with you for now." At that, a spot about halfway up the steps to Lord Psycho's throne turned sort of wavy for a moment as the owner of the voice took off an invisibility cloak. Underneath it was a man. He was barely taller than Lord Psycho, had dark, dirty blonde hair and reddish-brown eyes, and was wearing dark green robes underneath a black hooded cloak. He held the invisibility cloak in one black-gloved hand, while the other began to reach inside his robes for something.

At the sight of him, all tension left the room, and Lord Psycho let out a long, relieved sigh. "Don't do that again, eh, Alex?" she said in exasperation.

Alexander Lazarra had known Lord Psycho and her minions for a few years, so they all trusted him pretty well, or at least acted like they did. Alex and Lord Psycho had met in a wizard bar when he had started hitting on her because she appeared to be alone, although EM had been sitting right next to her. He thought she was quite attractive. They got along well, but since Lord Psycho was good at hiding her feelings about things, the two only became "business partners" because they both were interested in the Dark Arts. Although she offered, Alex had no interest in becoming a minion himself, but that was only because he couldn't devote all of his time to her mission. That was simply because he had two young nephews and an even younger niece to take care of since Voldemort's Death Eaters killed their parents.

"Fine, have it your way." He said before removing a small parcel from his robes. "Looking for these?" It was the Oreos.

"Alright, wiseass, give 'em!" Lord Psycho said irritably, but with a smile on her face. Alex walked up the remaining steps and handed the package over gently. Lord Psycho immediately started munching on its contents. After she satisfied a portion of her craving, she asked nonchalantly, "So, my dear Alex, what brings you here other than to torment me?"

"Oh, nothing in particular. Just dropping by, playing a trick on you for spite…" the man replied good-humoredly as he leaned against the wall casually. EM kept his glare as hidden as he could.

"You mean taunting me because I can't monitor your entering at will?" Lord Psycho smirked. "I'm still baffled that you can do it without triggering the alarm system."

"Well, you know me…" Alex replied, stretching his arms over his head. "I'm a sneaky fellow." EM snorted in disapproval. The intruding man looked at him blankly. "Something the matter, Evil?"

"No." he answered curtly.

"Oh, come now, I thought we'd agreed to get along better after that dreadful incident in April!" Alex said, taking a few steps towards EM, who was still glowering at him.

"Funny that that "dreadful incident" was entirely your fault," EM mused, turning a bit away from Alex. EM's dislike for the man was quite clear. "And it very nearly cost us quite a bit in damage repairs, not to mention you endangering the lives of Lord Psycho's prized dragons."

"But isn't it even funnier that you were the one who encouraged that I do it?" Alex shot back, an edge appearing in his voice. "And I quote, 'Of _course_ Osiris is perfectly safe to ride. No, he'd be _perfectly_ happy to let you try to do that kind of stunt with him. Oh, don't worry a _thing_ about that; they're just _saying_ he can only be ridden by Lord Psycho herself. He's actually quite tame.' HA! I'll admit to doing some stupid things and underestimating Osiris' attitude problem, and my inability to control him, but at least I'm not a damned _liar_."

EM was staring at Alex icily. His body had gone rigid. Lord Psycho hadn't stepped in because as far as she was concerned, it was between just the two of them, unless they were going to start another fight. She knew they hated each other passionately. She wasn't exactly sure why, but she had a sinking feeling that it involved her as well. Lord Psycho only hoped that she wasn't part of some horrid Love Triangle. Evil Minion was her right-hand-man, and one of her closest friends. Alex Lazarra was her bridge to the outside world when she couldn't be there herself, and another of her closest friends. She valued both of them for what they were worth to her, but she certainly didn't have feelings for either of them. At least not _those_ kind of feelings. But she often wondered what they thought about her when she wasn't there to use her Legilimency on them…

EM began his reply slowly and very clearly, in a positively venomous voice. "Which one is more foolish; the fool who tells the lie, or the fool who believes it?"

Alex suddenly started towards EM as both drew their wands. Before Sakura or Maxu, who had both been watching from a safe distance, knew what was going on, Lord Psycho was standing between the two men, holding them apart with her abnormally powerful arms. With a sudden thrust of her arms in either of their directions, she knocked both to the floor. She glared down at both of them, her fiery eyes burning.

"I thought I was very clear the last time this happened…" she began, her voice a low snarl. "…that if the two of you start World War III on my property, in my presence, you will pay _dearly_." Neither made any response while they raised themselves up and backed off. They knew _much _better than to mess with Lord Psycho; she could beat the ever-loving shit out of anyone. "I know you dislike each other immensely. I won't force you to act like you don't. But…" Lord Psycho paused to return to her seat, "…if either of you starts this nonsense again I won't be so calm about it. If you really insist on fighting, do it somewhere else because I don't want to see it."

All eyes were on this woman. She was so strange to them. Not one of them understood her. No one bothered trying. She could do so much, yet she actually did so little. Possessing so much power, but never showing it off. Being so intelligent but never acting like it unless it was necessary. That was just it though: unless it was necessary. She could be anything in the world, do anything she needed to do, but only if it was necessary. What was her purpose anyway? What was she trying to achieve? Lord Psycho's minions often found themselves asking this question repeatedly in the same day, but they never got any answers.

Alex and EM apologized honestly, and Lord Psycho forgave them while rubbing her temples and frowning.

"Headache, my Lord?" Edgar asked with a small grin as he floated in through the wall.

Lord Psycho groaned in reply. "Merlin, it's like having children…" Alex slumped against a wall, staring at his gloved fingers while EM returned to his 'post' at his master's side. He didn't look at her, though. He always felt wretched after he pissed her off. Not only because of his loyalty to her, but because he hated seeing her unhappy, which she so often was without him causing trouble. Alex felt the same way, except he had no loyalty issues because he was simply a "business associate."

"Could I interest you in a Bloody Mary, my Lord?" Edgar asked rather pleasantly, giving his master a significant look.

Lord Psycho stared at him for a moment, then gave a little sigh and said, "Indeed you could, Edgar, with all due speed."

As Lord Psycho opened her mouth to start her next sentence, a booming cough echoed through the chamber from above. Everyone looked up through the open Dragon Hatch to see a very irritated dragon glaring back. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Schlange. Do you have good news to report?" his master asked kindly.

"Well, I have news, but it certainly isn't what you would classify as 'good.'" The creature answered, shifting its weight a bit. "Nevertheless, it's very important, and I should like to give you all a briefing in the theater. I'm much more comfortable out there than in here. It's too small."

"Of course. We'll be there shortly." Lord Psycho said as she rose from her seat. As Schlange flew off, Lord Psycho added to the humans, "Well, you heard him. Off to the theater with you."

Maxu started wandering towards the nearest exit, but Sakura hesitated, staring up at her master anxiously. Lord Psycho did a claming inhale-exhale exercise before asking, "What is it, Sakura?"

"W-well, I was just wondering, um…" she began shakily. "…Well…we usually don't go to the briefings…_all_ of us, I mean…and, um…well, why are we all going to this one?" She was watching her words and her tone to make sure she didn't set her master off again.

"Schlange said it was very important, and he said he'd like to report to all of us, so unless you've got something more important already planned, I suggest you make your way to the theater as soon as possible." Lord Psycho replied with a flash of a smile at the end to add sarcasm.

"Oh, um, okay, I was…just making sure...um…" the teenager said weakly. "…so…yeah…" She scurried off after Maxu as Alex began to approach Lord Psycho.

"Well, I guess I'll be off, then. No need for me to go to a meeting I'm not involved in." he said, chuckling.

"Nonsense!" Lord Psycho exclaimed jovially, to EM's dismay. "I have a few things I would like to talk to you about, so there's no sense in you leaving now and coming back within the hour. Besides, with all luck Schlange will have something to say that interests you. I'm hoping he mentions some of the things I need to discuss with you, but I shouldn't expect my day to turn out that well, should I?" Alex fell into step with her as Lord Psycho made her way to the door, laughing good-humoredly. EM trudged along bitterly a few paces behind.

"Ah! Curse my memory!" Lord Psycho suddenly snapped as she came to the door. "I forgot my Oreos!"

"Oh, I can get those for-" Alex started before the woman cut him off verbally and physically as she suddenly stepped in his way.

"You certainly can _not_! I don't need you making off with them again. I'm rather famished, you know." She said matter-of-factly. "You go on to the theater. Tell Schlange I'll be along in a minute."

As Lord Psycho whipped around to retrieve her cookies EM took a tentative step towards the door. "Do me a favor and wait for me, will you, Evil Minion?" The man came to a halt and wondered if he was going to be berated again. But for what, he didn't know.

"I know I've already asked you several times before," she started from across the room. "…but I would really, _really_ love to get a complete, straight, truthful answer for a change. Yours and Mr. Lazarra's fighting happened to spark my memory."

"Here we go again…" EM murmured, rolling his eyes.

"What _exactly_ is the problem between the two of you, from your point of view?"

EM sighed heavily. "As I've said time and time again, we simply _do not get along at all_. We disagree on too many levels, we have conflicting interests, lack of trust between us, so on and so forth. I was certain you understood my point the last time you asked me that question."

"Oh, no, I understood you. I _still_ understand you. _My_ point is that that's not the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you god…or whoever you believe in."

"Then why don't you just use your Legilimency on me so you don't have to keep asking me? It would be a whole lot easier on both of us."

"Because, Evil Minion, I respect you. I don't use my powers on people I respect unless it I feel it is necessary. And, in this case, I would rather you told me of your own free will." Lord Psycho paused to let that sink in. "Understand now?"

"…yes." EM replied quietly. "But I still don't have anything to add to my answer."

His master sighed impatiently. "Hopeless case…" she muttered as she made her way out the door, EM following a step behind out of respect, smiling.

----------------------------------------------------------

A dragon roared somewhere outside the Citadel.

"_Will you knock it off, you great brute!_"

"Oh, please, _don't_ make him mad!"

"_You said she'd be here momentarily!"_

"_Yes, and she **will**! Just be **patient**!_"

"_How should you know, you filthy human?"_

"_She told me so herself, fool!"_

"_Who're you calling a filthy human, you filthy dragon?"_

"_You stay out of this, you stupid American!"_

"All of you stop yelling, I'm getting a headache!"

"**_What'd you call me?_"**

**_"SILENCE!"_**

…And there was, because absolutely _no one_ disobeys Lord Psycho when she yells.

As the master stood at the top row of seats of her outdoor theater, she looked down upon an unpleasant sight. Schlange and Alex were about to go at each other's throats. Maxu looked like he'd very much like to kill Schlange as well. Sakura was curled up on a seat with her arms wrapped around her head as if she had a splitting headache. Lord Psycho looked as if she were about to have a conniption. EM was simply confused,

"First of all," Lord Psycho boomed. "I don't want to know whom or what started this, and neither do I care, but I want everyone involved to get one thing perfectly clear: It's ending _now_. Got it!"

"Yes, Lord Psycho." They responded submissively.

"'Yes, Lord Psycho'. indeed…" EM mused quietly to his master, making her chuckle a bit. The pair walked down the dark stone steps, passing rows upon rows of wooden seats with red velvet cushions, down to the round stone 'stage,' cut out straight from the mountain. There was nothing above but open sky because the dragons often had to use the theater as well as the humans. The only slight disadvantage to the lack of a roof was when there was rain, snow, or high winds, Lord Psycho would have to conjure up a temporary barrier to protect her property. On the plus side, it made for an excellent concert hall because the sound carried well into the stadium seating and all throughout the valley.

"_Honestly_…" Lord Psycho grumbled as she approached the group lingering around the stage area. "You all give me more gray hair than Voldemort."

Sakura flinched and Maxu's eye twitched. Alex glanced at the mountains to his right and shuffled his feet. Schlange growled out of habit. EM remained silent and motionless at his master's side. Lord Psycho often talked about the "so-called Dark Lord," as she put it, quite casually despite the fact that everyone else hated hearing even his name. She somehow didn't seem to realize why people winced when they heard "Voldemort," but she knew an awful lot about him. He seemed to be her main interest next to domination of the Magical World, probably because that appeared to be Voldemort's goal as well.

"As a matter of fact, my Lord," the dragon began a little unsteadily, "that's who I'm reporting about."

His master's eyes flashed. "Really?" she asked with her excitement carefully hidden under her calm tone. "Well, then, I'd like to start as soon as possible." Lord Psycho quickly seated herself front-row-center before her minions and Alex followed suit, sitting around her. Edgar drifted in a moment later with Lord Psycho's Bloody Mary, which she promptly downed in a matter of seconds. Schlange stepped up onto the stage, scales glittering in the sunlight. He turned to face his master directly and seated himself on his haunches with surprising dignity. Schlange inhaled deeply, and began.

"As you are all well aware of, around this time last year, the Dark Lord Voldemort" – more shuddering – "was said to have been 'resurrected' by means of very dark magic. The currently living Death Eaters were said to have been present and involved in the 'resurrection'. However, none of this could be confirmed as the only non-Death Eater witness was a 14-year-old boy named Harry Potter. Potter was at the end of his 4th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the time of this incident. This took place on the same night that the last part of the Triwizard Tournament – the hedge maze - was being held on Hogwarts grounds. Potter was participating in this, and reached the end of the maze at the same time as another Hogwarts representative in the competition, Cedric Diggory. Potter said that he and Diggory agreed to touch the trophy at the same time and therefore claim it for Hogwarts as a school, not just themselves. According to Potter's account, he and Diggory were then transported to a graveyard, as the trophy appeared to be a disguised portkey. It was at this graveyard where Potter claimed to have witnessed the resurrection of the Dark Lord, and the death of Diggory.

"No more clear information about the events at the graveyard could be obtained from Potter, but it is a fact that Cedric Diggory was killed that night, although no one can be sure if it was the Dark Lord's doing as Potter claims it was. However, it has been confirmed that Potter's wand was not used to kill Diggory. It was also confirmed soon after Potter returned to Hogwarts' grounds with Diggory's body that one Bartemius Crouch, Junior, was responsible for the trophy-turned-portkey. He used polyjuice potion to impersonate the newly-hired Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts, former Auror Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, for the entire school year. Hogwarts' Potions Master, Severus Snape, provided the Veritaserum used on Crouch to discover this. Crouch has been positively identified as a Death Eater and sent to Azkaban, and the real Alastor Moody was recovered from an enchanted trunk is Crouch's possession. He was unharmed, but very confused and irritated.

"As of recent happenings, it was confirmed that Potter's story about the graveyard was entirely true. Lord Voldemort is indeed alive and well. He and his Death Eaters stormed the Ministry of Magic 5 days ago in an attempt to recover an unknown object from the Department of Mysteries. The Minister would not give details about the object, I suppose for fear of another security breach. Potter was present, accompanied by several of his fellow students, and their Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. Others present were members of the secret Order of the Phoenix, which I only discovered through threats and intimidation…" – Lord Psycho chuckled – "A few people were killed, but I confirmed them as unimportant to our cause, so I didn't record their names. It seems that the Dark Lord failed to obtain what he sought and he and his Death Eaters escaped the Ministry without a scratch. The many witnesses confirmed this account, so there is no doubt to the validity of this incident. The location of the Dark Lord and his followers is unknown as of this time."

Schlange seemed to signal the end of his report. No one made a sound for a long time.

Lord Psycho spoke first, quietly and solemnly. "It seems our worst fears have been confirmed… This will definitely bring our other actions to a screeching halt." She paused to think a moment, then rose to her feet and began pacing back and forth in front of the stage. "We'll need to do something about this as soon as possible." She said simply. Lord Psycho suddenly stopped and turned to Schlange. "Does Mr. Potter still attend Hogwarts?"

'Yes," the dragon replied. "He's at the end of his 5th year, I believe. Why?"

"Hmm… Do any of the known Death Eaters have children?" she asked again.

Schlange thought for a moment. "Some do, but most do not."

"Do you have any names for me?"

"Malfoy is one I know off the top of my head…I would have to check the others to be certain."

"And how old is Malfoy's son or daughter?"

"His son, Draco, is… I think he's the same age as Harry Potter, actually,"

"And does Draco Malfoy attend Hogwarts?"

"…I think I know what you're getting at, my Lord, and you are _brilliant_!"

"Does he or does he not, Schlange?"

"He does, master…And he's in Slytherin."

"…I believe I've developed a rather ingenious plan to spy on dear old Voldemort…And I think I'll enjoy it quite well…"

Lord Psycho's laugh echoed into the valley from the theater and carried across the land to a certain Dark Lord, who suddenly felt an unusual chill.

--- to be continued in Chapter 2 – The New Girl ---

* * *

**Disclaimer: **Own not, profit not, sue not. Except that doesn't apply to Lord Psycho, Evil Minion, Sakura, Maxu, Edgar or Schlange. _They're_ mine. 

**A/N: **...so, how was it? Not too bad, I hope. I tried to make this one funny to get your interest, and since you're reading this I guess it worked. HA HA HA. ...ahem. Anyway, you're probably confused too, but all I can say to that is get used to it because you're gonna be confused for a LONG time. This is one of those fics that has all this stuff happening and all this dialogue that you can't make sense out of because you don't really know what they're talking about, but hey, once I decide to tell you what the hell was going on, you're gonna have one of those moments of enlightenment and it's gonna be awesome. Trust me.

Also, the next chapter and all those that followare/will bemuch more HP-related than this one, where they just talk about HP-related crap but don't get to interact with any characters, like in the next chapter, which is _always _fun. So look forward to it while you finish reading this until you click the little button at the bottom of the screen that sends you to the next chapter. :D

**Why it's Lord Psycho: (**_kudos to ParadoxofInfinity) _As ParadoxofInfinity pointed out, females are usually called "Lady"or "Mistress." But since Lord Psycho has a sort of rivalry with Voldemort, and he's called Lord Voldemort/the Dark Lord, she figures she ought to be given the same title since she sees herself just as powerful and fear-worthy as him. That and the whole gender thing, like how"Lord So-and-So" sounds more impressive than "Lady So-and-So." Also partially because it's Overlord instead of Overlady. Overlady just sounds silly. Mistress is right out because of, once again, the gender thing, and "Mistress" can translate to "lover-or-something-like-that," depending on who you ask. And Lord Psycho doesn't have _that_ kind of relationship with _anyone_.

...all that and she doesn't seem terribly ladylike anyway. Hopefully that explains it well enough. -bow-

**Final Words: **Please shower me in reviews. They really make my day - honest and no kidding, people.

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

--- **k**avi-**s**ama ---


	2. Chapter 2: The New Girl

Chapter 2 – The New Girl

A pale, black-haired girl was waiting on a train platform, standing next to a wall in the shadows. She looked to be about 16 years old. The girl's pale, green-gray eyes roved over the luggage piled up around her feet to make sure she had everything with her. She stopped at a metal birdcage to lift it up near her face. A large, blue-black raven was inside, staring out at her curiously. She seemed to give the bird a signal after she glanced around quickly.

"How much longer do we have to wait here?" the bird asked, ruffling its feathers in annoyance.

"Be patient, Evil Minion." The girl replied with the air of a seasoned commander. "We need to wait until we get the signal that Draco Malfoy has been spotted. Then, we have to wait until we can confirm exactly who he is." The 'teenager' paused to heave a sigh. "Honestly, how many times must I explain this to you?"

"I'm sorry, Lord Psycho." The 'raven' replied quietly. "I'll try not to be as forgetful in the future." After a pause in which Lord Psycho had to treat EM as if he was simply her pet with a most irritating baby voice because some people were beginning to stare, the animagus spoke even more softly. "Incidentally, I thought you could only have an _owl_ as a pet bird here. Don't you think someone'll make a fuss about you having a raven?"

Lord Psycho laughed. "Once they get to know me, I doubt it." She stopped to look around her again. _Where is that **blasted** boy? The train leaves in 15 minutes…_ The disguised woman glanced at the train before her: the Hogwarts Express. She greatly anticipated the next year or so. _It should prove very interesting if nothing else…_ She thought back to almost 2 months earlier when she had paid a certain Headmaster a surprise visit…

--------------------------------------------------------------

Albus Dumbledore heard a familiar knock on his door.

"Come in, Minerva."

A dignified witch with grayed hair pulled back in a tight bun and square-shaped glasses entered the Headmaster's office, smiling good-humoredly. "Good morning, Albus." She said pleasantly.

The Headmaster repeated the greeting and bade her sit down. Minerva McGonagall took her seat in a large, comfortable chair Dumbledore conjured up for her, velvety green robes swooshing around her feet.

"What brings you to my office so early in the day and in such good spirits?" Dumbledore asked kindly, aged eyes twinkling behind half-moon glasses. "Surely Professor Snape has not announced his resignation…?"

The witch laughed. "No, I'm afraid that's not quite it." McGonagall paused for a moment before continuing, smiling in a rather grandmotherly way. "I've just met a very interesting young lady. Her name is Ariana Harthcrow, and she is not quite 16 yet. She just recently moved to England with her father, and she would like to enroll at Hogwarts for next year's classes. The last school she attended was quite obscure – in Romania, actually – but apparently it was very beneficial to her. I looked over her marks from her last school and she was at the top of all her classes. Her previous professors had nothing but praise for her. Her O.W.L. marks were nothing but Outstandings, if you can believe it! I think if we test her knowledge just to be sure she's at the proper level to join our current N.E.W.T.-level students, there should be no problem with letting her attend. What do you think, Albus?"

The old wizard was deep in thought. Was it his imagination or did the name "Harthcrow" sound strangely familiar? After he remained quite still for another minute, he looked up at McGonagall and said pleasantly, "I believe I would like to meet Ms. Harthcrow before I make any decisions."

"I thought you would say that, so I asked Hagrid to wait with her until I returned." she replied, still smiling. The pair rose from their seats, and McGonagall continued as they made their way towards the door. "She's quite a nice girl, from what I've seen. She said she wanted to go to Hogwarts because it was the best school for learning magic there was, and that she didn't care about what's been happening for the past few years, with teachers being killed and students attacked and everything. And she said something about a relative attending a long time ago, also…"

"Curious that she isn't bothered by the supposed 'dangers' of the school…" Dumbledore said amusedly.

In a few minutes the two teachers came upon an odd sight. Ariana Harthcrow, the girl McGonagall had been talking about, was standing on Rubeus Hagrid's shoulder, reaching for something on a ledge. The gamekeeper seemed to notice the other two first.

"Professor Dumbledore, McGonagall." Hagrid said, nodding to both as he kept as still as possible. "Oh, I'll ask yeh ter be quiet – we're tryin' ter catch a moke that went an' shrank on me 'fore he scampered up the wall there. Sneaky little bugger, he is…"

"Aha! Got you!" Ariana suddenly burst out triumphantly as she grabbed at something on the ledge. She brought whatever was clamped in her hands down to Hagrid's eye level and asked, "This is Gerald, right?"

"Blimey, yeh did get 'im, din' you?" the gamekeeper said, sounding a bit amazed. He held up a large hand and, understanding immediately, Ariana dropped the tiny, silvery-green lizard into his palm. "Righ' then, yer not goin' ter be gettin' away again any time soon, Gerald…" Hagrid quickly tucked the moke into one of the many pockets on his long overcoat, then looked up at the girl on his shoulder. "I s'pose yeh'd like ter get down now, eh?"

She laughed. "Yeah, that would be nice… Heights make me nervous sometimes."

The three professors chuckled as well. Hagrid, being half-giant, was around 8 feet tall, so he was forced to crouch down to ensure Ariana didn't injure herself when she hopped down off his shoulder. She thanked him after she was back on solid ground, but Hagrid cut her off, saying, "Blimey! What're yeh thankin' me for? Yer the one who caught 'im! I'll be doin' the thankin' here, if yeh don' mind, so thank yeh."

Ariana laughed and said, "Well, I was thanking you for not making me jump down from all the way up there, because I probably would've broken my legs."

Hagrid stared at her blankly for a moment. "Oh. Righ'."

"And catching mokes isn't difficult for me, either," the girl added. "One of my old classmates bought one and it was always escaping, so I usually had to catch it for her. I think it's easy for me because I'm a Seeker…or maybe it's the other way around." She smiled. Hagrid grinned back, but stopped when he saw McGonagall signal to him to get her attention on them.

"Well, now tha' tha's taken care of," the huge man said. "I'd like ter introduce yeh ter our Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore." He motioned in the old wizard's direction, smiling proudly as she turned to face him.

Dumbledore immediately knew who she reminded him of. Her pale, green-gray eyes seemed to pierce into his clear blue orbs in a somewhat unnerving way. Ariana took a few steps forward and extended her hand to shake the Headmaster's.

"Pleased to meet you." she said politely as Dumbledore shook her hand with a hint of reluctance. "I'm Ariana Harthcrow," she added before looking at McGonagall. "…but Professor McGonagall probably told you that already."

"Yes, she did." Dumbledore said, smiling and speaking pleasantly. "I must say, your situation is a rather odd one, though something feels familiar about it. When I heard your name and saw you just now I thought I'd seen you before a long time ago."

Before Dumbledore could continue, Ariana cut in, saying, "Oh, I know who you mean! The same thing happened to my grandmother when she came here. I believe it was Headmaster Dippet who allowed her to enter for her 7th year; she had just moved to England as well. Everyone says we look almost exactly alike, too."

"And her name was…?" the old wizard asked, suddenly very interested.

"Nyx Harthcrow. She was my father's mother, but since his father died in an unfortunate Quidditch accident just before he was born, he kept his mother's last name. Bit odd, but that's how it is." Ariana said proudly. "Actually, my father and I moved here because of her…" She suddenly looked quite depressed.

McGonagall asked with genuine concern, "What's the matter?"

"Well," Ariana continued after a sharp breath in. "She died."

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear." McGonagall said gently.

Ariana sniffled a bit. "It was about 2 weeks ago…No one knows why. She just…went." After a heavy sigh, she added miserably, "I miss her…"

Hagrid patted her on the back carefully, trying to comfort her without knocking her over while McGonagall handed her a tartan-edged handkerchief. The teachers weren't sure exactly why, but they felt drawn to this girl, and seemed to want to like her very much. So far they had seen no reason not to like her and let her into the school, but they couldn't quite understand why they connected so well with her, and not with any of the current or past students. Dumbledore, however, was a bit more wary of this newcomer. Something about her seemed familiar to him…not from her grandmother, but from a student that graduated at the same time and was now very well known. He didn't want to distrust her, but he knew he needed proof that there was no malignancy in her before she entered Hogwarts under his Headmastership.

"I am truly sorry for your loss, Ariana," the old wizard offered calmly. He may not have trusted her yet, but he did feel pity for her. "If I remember her quite correctly, your grandmother was a remarkable witch, and I was very pleased to have taught and known her."

"Thank you…" she said quietly. Suddenly she laughed and said, "Oh, look at me! I doubt this is making a good impression on any of you…"

"The pain of loss is a completely understandable thing." Dumbledore said, smiling a little. "If you weren't unhappy that your grandmother is no longer with you, _then_ I would be concerned."

Ariana took a few steadying breaths and wiped her eyes. "Well, back to business…Truthfully, what are my chances of bring allowed into Hogwarts as I am?"

"That all depends on you." the Headmaster said, eyes twinkling. "I should think that we ought to test your knowledge before considering your application. Don't worry, the exams should be perfectly doable if you are at the standard O.W.L.-level of magic, which, from your numerous Outstandings, one should think you are quite above. If you do well, I cannot see an obvious reason to deny you a spot among our 6th years at the start of term. However, if you do poorly for whatever reason…Well, as the muggles say, we shall come to that bridge when we cross it."

"Um…sir?"

"Yes, Ms. Harthcrow?"

"I think you have it backwards…"

------------------------

"Hey."

"…"

"Hey!"

"…"

"Lord Psycho, you're spacing again!"

"…Did you say something, Evil?"

EM the Raven clicked his beak in frustration.

"If you don't stop getting lost in your own head you'll miss the signal, and then everything will be screwed up!"

"…Evil Minion."

"Yes?"

"Since when did you possess the authority to scold me?"

"I'm not scolding you, _master_, I'm merely trying to prevent something unpleasant from happening…like missing the signal that the Malfoy kid has been seen…"

"Mm. Fine. I won't do it again."

"…What were you thinking about, anyway? You were _really_ deep in thought that time…"

"Oh, just reminiscing about my meeting with Dumbledore…and McGonagall…and that hairy fellow, what's his name…"

"Hagrid?"

"Yes, Hagrid! He was rather nice to me actually. Must speak with him again once we get to the school."

"My, my. Has my Lord finally found a suitor?"

"Quiet, you, or you'll find you've become a matchstick before you can scream for help."

"…Only joking, Lord Psycho, only joking…That was what you had to do for that exam, wasn't it?"

"What? Turning annoying underlings into matchsticks? Yes, something like that."

------------------------

"…Excellent transfiguration!" McGonagall said, beaming as she inspected Ariana's transfigured frog. She held the matchstick up to her glasses to examine it closer. "…This is spectacular work, Ms. Harthcrow, really! No slime left, it's not croaking, and it's not hopping around the room…"

"So, did I pass?" Ariana asked from behind her desk, trying to force back a wide grin.

"With flying colors! Outstanding!" McGonagall nearly cheered. "I truly hope to see you in my classroom next term…This is _marvelous_ work, Ms. Harthcrow…You should have no problems at all at N.E.W.T. level…"

Ariana smiled. "Thank you. Transfiguration isn't my most favorite subject, to be honest, but I think sometimes the teacher can make up for it. I'll give it a shot since you think I'll do well."

McGonagall continued beaming as she gave Ariana her next instructions. "Next you will be talking your Potions examination with Professor Snape. I'll show you where his classroom is since you don't know your way around yet."

"Thank you, Professor." The aspiring student said as she followed the witch out of the room.

"I'll tell you, though," McGonagall continued as they walked down the hall. "Professor Snape won't be the Potions Master once term begins. He will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts instead; it's a position he's been seeking since he began his career here…" McGonagall added the last part with a hint of something akin to disdain.

"And who will be replacing him?" Ariana asked curiously.

"The Headmaster didn't give me a name, but he did say that he used to teach at Hogwarts a long time ago." McGonagall said, taking Ariana down a flight of stairs. "Well, Professor Dumbledore _hopes_ he will take the position…From what he said, this person is quite happily retired and, although he loved his job, may see no merit in returning."

McGonagall was silent for a few moments. "Well, I hope Professor Dumbledore doesn't run into any trouble recruiting whoever it is." Ariana commented as they neared Snape's classroom in the dungeons.

"I will be sure to tell him you wish him luck." The aged witch said with a grin. "Now, this is where you will find Professor Snape. I have some things to take care of before the summer ends, and I would like to finish as much as possible today, so I'll leave you here."

"Well, at least you know how your students feel." Ariana chuckled. "Have a nice summer."

"And you as well." The teacher replied kindly. "I look forward to seeing you in September, so don't disappoint me!"

"I'll do my best." The girl said as she opened the heavy dungeon door and McGonagall started down the hall.

------------------------

"Lord Psycho…" 

"…"

"Merlin's Beard, you're doing it _again_!"

"…Sorry, what?"

"Stop daydreaming, dammit!"

"Next time it happens, peck at me until I swat at you or something. Yelling doesn't seem to be doing the trick."

"Hopefully there won't _be_ a next time."

"Right…Where in the blazes is that kid! The train leaves in 5 minutes!"

"Something tells me you may have missed the signal…master."

"No, he would've…- "

"…What are you staring at?"

"…I just got the signal. See that? And _you_ doubted me!"

Lord Psycho quickly rose to her feet and gathered her luggage with some difficulty. EM was hopping around in a frenzy at the bottom of his cage.

"Which one is he? _Which one?"_

"I don't know yet!"

"Where's the bloodypicture?"

"Ah! _Damn it all!"_

The woman/girl dropped her bags and tore a small photograph out of a coat pocket in a panic. She glanced from a boy about to board the train to the photograph, then back and forth until she was quite sure.

"The blonde one! The one getting on right there!"

"Well go catch up or something!"

"You _shut up_ or help me with this luggage!"

"I can't carry anything, I'm too weak in this form!"

"_Then **be quiet**!_"

The now very stressed-out Lord Psycho snatched up her luggage and scrambled onto the train after Malfoy, hoping to join him in his compartment to have a little chat.

Once on the train, Lord Psycho caught the back of his head disappearing into a compartment and ran after it. She stopped abruptly at the door, wondering what exactly she should say to convince him to let her in. After she caught her breath and thought for a few moments, she knocked tentatively on the door.

She nearly jumped back into the wall the door slid open so fast. Lord Psycho now found herself staring at Draco Malfoy, the one who had opened the door so irritably, whom she had been seeking for the past few months. He hardly looked as threatening as his father, the Death Eater; his pale blonde hair was slicked back, and his icy gray eyes looked more than a bit surprised at the person he was staring back at. Draco thought she was abnormally tall for a girl, but he somehow felt drawn to her, as the professors had almost 2 months ago. He gazed at her long, somewhat unruly raven-like hair and intense, light green-gray eyes…He immediately noted that she looked like she belonged in Slytherin, his own house.

"Um…" Lord Psycho began weakly. "Sorry if I'm disturbing you, but I was wondering if, um…" She noted three other people in the compartment already; two rather large and rather dim-looking boys and one rather snooty-looking girl. "…if you were all Slytherins, by any chance?"

Draco eased up a bit. "Yeah, we are. Why?"

Lord Psycho heaved a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. And might you be 6th years also?"

"Yes…" Draco answered a bit more apprehensively than before. _What in **hell** does she want?_

"What a relief! Everyone else was either Gryffindor or Hufflepuff; equally bad, in my opinion." The woman in disguise said in a friendly manner. Before she could go on the snooty-looking girl seated next to Draco spoke up.

"I don't think I caught your name…What was it again?" she asked with a hint of poison in her tone.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I should've done that in the first place," Lord Psycho said. "I'm Ariana Harthcrow. I'm new with the 6th years. Slytherin, but you probably guessed that already."

"What, are you a transfer student or something?" Draco asked, his curiosity growing.

"Erm…Something like that." 'Ariana' replied. "Anyway, I thought it might be wise to introduce myself to some of my peers, but you four are the only ones I've found so far. Well…besides the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, but I'd rather eat slugs. And you all are…?"

"Draco Malfoy." He said, extending his hand rather politely. Ariana shook it and looked at the girl.

"Pansy Parkinson." She said stiffly, not moving an inch.

As Ariana looked to the other two boys Draco cut in. "That's Crabbe, and that's Goyle. They're best off if they don't have to open their mouths."

Ariana laughed awkwardly. "All right then…Um, I was also wondering…Well I know you've got four in already, but do you think I could squeeze in too? The train's going in a minute and I would rather sit on the roof than with the first-years or something embarrassing like that…"

"Oh, sure." Draco said rather pleasantly. He looked at Pansy and asked her, "Scoot down, will you, Pansy?"

"Why don't you make one of _them_ move instead?" Pansy shot back indignantly, nodding to Crabbe and Goyle.

"No one can fit between those brutes." Draco said as if Pansy didn't have enough brainpower to use a quill. "Now scoot down."

As Ariana scurried in and tossed her luggage onto the rack, Pansy suddenly looked quite upset.

"I think I'll go see where Maggie and Christy are sitting, check on them, see if they have any chocolate to give me…" she said moodily as she pulled two bags off of the rack and made for the door.

"Um…all right then." Draco said, sounding rather confused. Ariana flopped down into the now empty space next to Draco. He sighed heavily as he looked at the door after Pansy, and just as he opened his mouth to speak, Ariana cut in with:

"'Women…', right? I know, I'm one myself. She'll get over it."

"I'm not sure exactly what 'it' is." The blonde muttered. "She's been acting awfully strange lately…"

"She's just possessive." Ariana said almost sagely. "As I said, she'll get over it eventually."

Draco suddenly realized how awkward it was talking about his girlfriend issues with a nearly total stranger. He shook it off and asked, "You said you were in Slytherin, right?"

"Yes, and quite proudly I might add." she replied, grinning.

"If you're a new student," the boy continued, the confusion in his voice growing, "How do you know what house you're in already?"

"Well, over the summer, I had to take some exams to see if I was smart enough to come here," the girl explained. "And after I passed everything with flying colors, they told me I was in, and I was, well, 'pre-Sorted', I guess you could call it."

Draco nodded a bit. "That makes sense, I guess." After a pause, he asked in a sly, hushed voice, "What did the hat say to you after you put it on?"

Ariana laughed heartily. "'_Definitely_ Slytherin!' Then it asked to get off my head as soon as possible."

Draco laughed and his two cronies sort of guffawed stupidly. "The hat had the same basic reaction with me," Draco said proudly, slouching into his seat, stretching his arms above his head. He brought them back down and put his hands behind his head while saying, "Not many people are willing to mess with me…They know my father's a Death Eater, and a lot of them probably think I'll become one too, so I doubt they want to make enemies with me, even now."

"Do _you_ think you'll become a Death Eater?" Ariana asked neutrally, staring at him out of the corner of her eye.

Draco's head whipped around to face her. None of his peers had ever asked him that before. He stared at her silently for a while before answering in a very evasive way. "…possibly."

"Just curious." Ariana said, smiling almost playfully. A sudden commotion came from the luggage rack above Ariana. She jumped up and grabbed EM's birdcage, bringing it down so she could see him. "_What_ is the _matter_ with you?"

EM just squawked back, hopping up and down.

"Fool of a bird…" Ariana muttered as she went to put him back on the rack.

"Wait a minute!" Draco burst out. "Isn't that a raven?"

"Yes." The girl replied with a sigh. "An annoying one, but still a raven." EM glared at her.

"I didn't know you could have a raven…" the boy muttered, sounding almost jealous.

"I'm not sure I can, actually…" Ariana said dejectedly. "As long as they don't confiscate him, it won't kill me to send him home if I must."

EM nipped his master's finger.

"Ow! Knock it _off_, Evil Minion!" she snarled at the bird, who immediately started cowering on the floor of the cage.

"'Evil Minion'?" Draco asked, a highly amused grin spreading across his face.

"Yes, that's his name." Ariana replied, tossing the cage onto the rack rather carelessly.

Draco started laughing.

"What?" the girl asked, looking down at him critically. "You think it's stupid, don't you?"

Draco calmed his laughter to answer, "No, of course not…I think it's brilliant!"

"Oh." Ariana said a bit dimly. Then she smiled and thanked him for the compliment before resuming her seat.

"That gave me an idea." Draco said, pulling himself into a more proper sitting position. "Do you think _you'd_ ever become a Death Eater?"

Ariana thought for several long moments, staring out the window at the moving scenery. _I wonder how long the train's been going…They said it was several hours to get there…_

…_I wonder…will he recognize me?_

"…possibly."

------------------------

After many long hours on the Hogwarts Express, Ariana was rudely woken by a sudden stop. Or, at least it _felt_ sudden. She got up off of the seats she had been sprawled out across and fixed her robes. She stretched every part of her possible and yawned hugely.

"That was a lovely nap…" she commented in a pleased tone to no one in particular.

EM, still in his cage, replied with, "It's a good thing the train woke you so I didn't have to break this cage open to do it myself."

Ariana gathered her luggage, vacated the empty compartment and made her way to the nearest exit. She had left Draco and the other two to change into her school robes and take a quick nap before they reached Hogwarts. Once she made it outside, she quickly found herself in the middle of a sea of students. Before she realized what was going on, her luggage had been taken from her to be delivered to the school, and she had been swept off to an area where over a hundred carriages were waiting to be boarded.

"Ariana!" a voice called.

She spun around to see Draco waving her over to a free carriage. She dashed over to see Crabbe and Goyle loitering around behind the blonde, and Pansy clinging rather childishly to Draco's other arm. A fourth boy appeared to be with them as well, but she wasn't sure. Ariana also noticed the bizarre creatures piloting the carriages. As she neared the other Slytherins, she drifted over to the dragonish-horse-like animals, staring at them in amazed fascination.

"I never thought I'd see a thestral again…" she said, mostly to herself.

Draco stared at her curiously. "Erm…What're you looking at?"

"Thestrals. You can only see them if you've seen someone die." Ariana replied simply, stroking one's neck almost affectionately.

The five Slytherins looked a bit alarmed, but shook it off and started getting into the carriage.

"You can ride with us if you'd like. There's more room in these than on the train." Draco said politely, winning him a dirty look from Pansy.

Ariana agreed and got in, seating herself next to Draco, with a highly irked Pansy on the other side.

Several minutes later, the carriage stopped and Ariana hopped out. The first thing she saw was the grand doorway into the castle – a sight she'd been longing to see for quite some time. She nearly skipped up the stone steps she was so happy to see Hogwarts. Draco stared after her in confusion. _What on **earth** is she so happy for?_

"Follow our lead and you won't make a fool of yourself and wander off somewhere." Draco told the new girl as they neared the massive wooden doors. Ariana chuckled and agreed to do so. The group of six followed the other students inside, going down halls, up stairs, down some more corridors, until they finally reached the Great Hall. Ariana stared up at the dark ceiling, enchanted to look like the night sky, and at the hundreds of candles floating in the air over the four long tables spanning the length of the hall; one for each house. She followed the others to the Slytherin table, next to the wall on one side, and looked up at the staff table hopefully. From this distance, she couldn't see very well, so she started making her way to the front end of the table.

"Er, Ariana?" Draco asked as he was about to sit down. "Where are you going?"

She turned to look at him, surprised. "I want to sit farther up." she said plainly.

Draco glanced at Pansy, then made up his mind and ordered, "Right. We're sitting father up." and started walking after Ariana.

She took her seat at the very last seat before the table ended and started scouting the table at the front of the hall for people she recognized. Draco interrupted her.

"Are you sure you want to sit this close?" He sounded like he was about to be sick.

"Yes." She replied shortly. When she heard no response, she turned and said a little quieter, "You don't need to sit with me if you don't want to. I won't be offended."

"It's not that, I just never sit this close to the front of the room, that's all," Draco said nervously as he took his seat next to Ariana. Draco glanced around as Crabbe and Goyle sat down on his other side. The other boy that had been with them, Blaise Zabini, took his seat across from Draco and began to retie his shoelace, oblivious to the world around him. "Where's Pansy?" Draco asked.

Crabbe shrugged while Goyle stared at his spoon like an idiot.

Draco sighed in exasperation. "Don't know how those two made it to 6th year…" he muttered, making Ariana laugh. "Well, since Pansy seems to have deserted us again I think I'll stay right here."

"That's fine with me." Ariana said almost cheerily before she went back to her teacher hunting. Several seats were empty, to her surprise. One was the chair directly in front of the Slytherin table, and another the one next to the Headmaster. The others were on the other side of the room. Ariana pondered why the teachers were late, as most of the 2nd-7th years had taken their seats already.

Her question was answered in part when the giant, furry Hagrid burst through a side door in a hurry. As he neared Professor Dumbledore, he started apologizing for his lateness, but the Headmaster simply quieted him and asked him to take his seat. Hagrid did so as the remaining teachers wandered in and found their place at the table until all were present but three. Professor McGonagall was absent because it was her duty to lead the first-years into the Great Hall, so she would not come in until they did. Even then, she had to take care of the Sorting Hat business before she could take her place next to Dumbledore. The only teachers left were Professor Snape, who entered through the door near his own house's table just as Ariana wondered where he could be, and the mystery Potions Professor.

The ex-Potions Master took his seat without so much as a glance to the Slytherin table, to Ariana's irritation. Once he was comfortable, he looked straight at Ariana almost without realizing it. She grinned at him while waving almost frantically and more than a bit foolishly, and he replied with a short nod and a sort of smirk of recognition. Draco gave the back of her head an odd look. Ariana looked around anxiously for the new teacher, and was finally satisfied when a rotund, aged man wandered in through the same door that Snape had. His walrus-like moustache bristled as he huffed and puffed his way to the staff table.

_He must have had to run up a flight of stairs or two after he realized he was late…_Ariana thought, laughing to herself. Draco finally lost it and tapped her on the shoulder. She spun around and asked rather sharply, "What?"

"Why were you waving at Snape and what in the _world_ is so funny?" Draco was genuinely bewildered.

Ariana paused to take a breath. "It's…an inside joke, if you will. It would take much too long to explain."

She then turned back to the head table to try to attract the large man's attention but found he was already too far away to call to without making a scene.

It was just as the rotund man seated himself that the procession of timid first-years began walking down the length of the hall thought the massive wooden doors, led by Professor McGonagall. Ariana felt a sort of warm, fuzzy feeling in her stomach as she watched the frightened little faces gather around the stool with the famous Sorting Hat resting on it. To her, this was like returning home after a very, very long trip from which she did not expect to return, but somehow managed to find a way to do so. Draco stared at Ariana, dumbfounded as to why she was giving the pathetic little first-years such a sentimental look. He decided against asking why since it hadn't gotten him anywhere before, and instead took her mind off it.

"Hey," he said quietly, nudging her out of a rather pleasant memory. "That must be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor." He motioned towards the portly, walrus-mustached man chatting jovially but quietly with Professor Flitwick.

"How do you know?" she asked with painfully faked curiosity.

"I've never seen him here before." Draco replied simply. "They have to find a replacement for that job every bloody year…It must be cursed."

"Cursed? What are you talking about?"

"So far, every person who's had to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts here since my first year has died, had their memory wiped, gotten fired, been impersonated and locked in a trunk, or been carried off by some creatures in the forest…I don't remember exactly what those things were, but they certainly weren't friendly."

"…blimey…" Ariana muttered with sincere alarm.

"Yeah," Draco sighed. "This one probably won't last the year either."

Ariana made no response. She was staring intently at the first-years being sorted.

_McGonagall told me **he** was taking the position this year…_

A boy was sorted into Ravenclaw.

_I…I hope nothing like that happens…_

A girl went to Gryffindor.

_What am I thinking? There's nothing **anyone** can do toeither of them while **I'm** here…_

A boy was sent to Hufflepuff.

…_right?_

--- to be continued in Chapter 3 – Liar Liar ---

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (Does not apply to Lord Psycho/Ariana Harthcrow and/or Evil Minion.)

**A/N:** ...So. Enjoying all the foreshadowy goodness? Myaha. Never fear, some things will be cleared up in the next chapter...but only _some_. If I explained everything right away, no one would be interested in reading any more of this and that would be sad. So expect a lot of this if you plan on reading this fic the whole way through. ...If that sort of thing annoys you, then go bye-bye because this is not the fic for you.

For everyone else out there, I'm hoping you understand a bit of the general plot now.More is revealed in the next chapter, so go read it. Other than that, not much else I need tosay, except that Dumbledore is excessively fun to write. Honestly. (I hope you laughed at the "Snape resigning" line because it still makes me laugh even now, and _I_ wrote it for chrissakes!)

**Final Words:** Again, show me the reviews! ...Please! As of now I've got quite a few, and I'm very happy about it, but you know the saying, "The more the merrier" and the more reviews I get the merrier I shall be.Obviously I'd prefer the good reviews but bad ones are okay too. Just as long as it's constructive. (Meaning you can say "it's crap because this goes completely against the 6th book." ...not that I'd give much consideration to that review, but eh.) ...Incidentally I _know_ this goes completely against the 6th book (so far, at least), and I really don't care. In fact, the whole fic goes completely against JKR herself, but you know what? That's the point of a fic. So there.

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

--- **k**avi-**s**ama ---


	3. Chapter 3: Liar, Liar

Chapter 3 – Liar, Liar

The door burst open in Professor Horace Slughorn's potions class. Lord Psycho, disguised as Ariana Harthcrow, came staggering into the room, panting so heavily one would think she was about to pass out. Everyone stared at her with raised eyebrows as she made her way to an empty seat behind Draco Malfoy, who looked rather embarrassed by her noisy, late entrance.

"I'm…" she gasped as she dropped her bag on the floor carelessly. "Sorry…I was…late…pro…professor…I…oversle…overslept…a lot." She paused to calm her breathing a bit before adding with a sheepish grin, "I've only been awake…for 8 minutes."

Slughorn stared at her curiously before saying, "Erm, that's all right, I understand it takes a bit to get used to coming to classes again. Er, what was your name again, miss…?"

"Ariana Harthcrow." She said, straightening herself up. "My grandmother was in your class about 50 years ago, I think."

"And she was…?" Slughorn asked with sudden interest.

"Nyx Harthcrow." Ariana replied, smiling. "She said you were her favorite professor, and that this was her best class." As soon as she finished the sentence, she could have sworn she heard a Gryffindor cough something that sounded like "suck-up." She saw a bushy, brown-haired girl smack a tall, red-haired boy seated near her on the arm and hiss something like "be quiet or you'll get us _all_ in trouble."

"_Now_ I now who you look like!" Slughorn boomed, grinning so that his walrus mustache bristled wildly. "Oh, I remember Nyx fondly…She was an excellent student…Hopefully you inherited some of her proficiency in potion-making as well, hm?"

Ariana smiled back and began straightening out her things to signal that he could continue the class now.

"Now then," said Slughorn, bustling off to his desk at the front of the room. "For our first class of the year, I'd like to play a sort of game with you. But before that, can anyone tell me what this is?"

He motioned to the little cauldron bubbling away on top of his desk. It's contents looked like liquefied gold, and when it bubbled it looked as if miniature goldfish were jumping up and down from it's surface. The bushy-headed Gryffindor girl's hand shot into the air as if she'd been jabbed by something pointy. Slughorn nodded for her to answer.

"It's felix felicis!" she said excitedly. "Liquid luck!"

"Excellent, Miss Granger! 10 points to Gryffindor!" Slughorn beamed.

As the aged professor began to prattle on about "little felix," Ariana remembered a similar day she had experienced a very long time before. On that day, though, the professor she had been taking orders from was not nearly as friendly or well-meaning as Slughorn. _That_ professor was much more serious, and downright cruel at times…Ariana remembered how demanding he had always been of his students, and his lack of tolerance for failure. With a stab of pain, she vividly remembered how hard he had been on his own daughter…

…but she was brought back to the present as the current potions master finished his ramble with a line to the effect of, "Whomever makes this potion most correctly wins a bottle of felix felicis." Ariana looked around her to see hungry, determined expressions on her classmates' faces. She was not surprised that Slughorn's liquid luck potion seemed so tantalizing to them. She had felt the same way when she was first introduced to it in the same classroom all those years ago, under that ominous professor she hated thinking about.

_I wonder how it's been that long…_ she thought as she opened her book and started half-reading the directions. _Hardly seems like yesterday that I made this potion. _As a matter of fact, she remembered making that particular potion so well that she barely needed to look at the directions to make it properly. But, she was terribly distracted by all her reminiscing on the past that had suddenly decided to surface. One particularly painful memory interfered with her stirring, and she realized she missed something after it was too late to fix it. Although she tried to repair the damage, her potion ended up a rather disgusting shade of green, and it was smoking a bit.

When Slughorn called "time's up" and came around to check Ariana's work, his expression reflected his words. "Ah well, I suppose you can't be perfect on the first try…As a matter of fact, I believe I know what you did wrong, and let me assure you, it's the most common mistake one can make brewing this potion. Don't worry about it."

Ariana stayed mostly silent. The imperfect potion wasn't bothering her, but her memories were. She came back to reality once she heard Slughorn's voice booming his congratulations at one of the Gryffindor boys who had, amazingly, made his potion perfectly. He was awarded his bottled felix felicis as the class ended and the students began packing up.

Ariana overheard Draco grumbling something offensive about the boy who won the liquid luck, Harry Potter, as she made her way to the cupboard to replace her unused supplies. It took all of her will power not to slap herself in the face for not recognizing him sooner. Ariana watched him leave the room, carefully noting all the details of his appearance in case she would have to find him later. After he was out of her sight, she began replacing her belongings in her bag with irritating precision, taking her time until the last student had left and she was alone with Slughorn. She stood up to look at him, leaving her bag untouched on the floor. Slughorn was gathering papers and making some marks in what Ariana supposed was a dragon-hide-bound notebook with a curling, golden quill.

_Always with a flair…_Ariana thought, rolling her eyes.

Slughorn turned to move around his desk and happened to notice Ariana standing beside her desk patiently, watching him. He seemed a bit startled that she was just standing there staring at him, but resumed his casually good nature at once.

"Shouldn't you be getting to your next class, Miss Harthcrow?" he asked, smiling and chuckling a bit. "I'll not be held accountable for your lateness, you know!" He shook the elegant quill at her to make his point.

To his surprise, Ariana started laughing and wandered to the door without her bag and nonchalantly pushed it shut with her foot as she spoke.

"Oh, Horace, you haven't changed a bit." She said in a distinctly different tone, almost as if she was speaking in another voice. "You always made me laugh…"

"I beg your pardon, young lady, but what on _earth_ are you talking about?" spluttered a very confused and somewhat apprehensive Slughorn who had abandoned his papers to stare at the student.

Ariana meandered up to his desk, still laughing to herself. She rested her hands on his desk and allowed it to support her as she stood there casually, looking across the desk at her professor. She was grinning mischievously as if she knew something he didn't.

"Your really don't recognize me, Horace?" the girl asked, seemingly surprised.

Slughorn stopped to look at her carefully. His gaze lingered on the icy, green-gray eyes staring up into his slyly. Slughorn's eyes narrowed as he looked ever closer at her, a look of dawning comprehension growing on his plump face. He spoke quietly after a long silence.

"…_Nyx_?"

'Ariana's' face broke into a huge smile. "Never doubted you for a moment, Sluggy."

The professor was suddenly grinning almost madly as he spluttered, "Really? How did- I-I mean- W-when- Wha-?"

The girl covered his mouth with a slender, pale hand and asked him politely to sit down. Slughorn did so, still positively giddy, as she pulled up a chair net to the desk.

"Now, before you start asking questions," 'Ariana' said almost sternly. "I'd like to tell you that I'll only allow you to use my real name when it is in total, complete privacy."

"Like now, for instance?" Slughorn asked eagerly.

"Yes, but not during a class, and _especially_ not when there are other teachers around. Well, with the exception of Professor Snape. He's safe."

"Why Severus? He doesn't know who you really are."

"As a matter of fact, he does."

"What! Since when! …And don't give me that 'all in good time, Horace' look, Onyxsus!"

'Nyx's' expression turned stony for a moment. "What have I told you about using my full first name?"

Slughorn suddenly looked ashamed, like a child who'd just been caught sneaking cookies before dinner. "Never to use it in your presence. I know, I know. It certainly gets your attention, though."

Nyx glared at him for a moment. "You know why I hate hearing it, Horace, unless old age has taken its toll on us both."

"Humor an old man, then, and repeat it…if you would be so kind."

Nyx sighed and stated grimly, "Because it was the only name my bloody father ever called me by, and I'm _sure_ you haven't forgotten why I absolutely _detest_ him…"

Slughorn shook his head quickly. "Oh, no. Certainly not. Not even old age will drive _that_ story from my memory…" He gave a little shudder and looked uncomfortable. "I still don't know how you kept going after all that, Nyx…"

"It wasn't a matter of choice, Horace. You know that." Nyx replied, leaning back in her chair comfortably. "Besides, if it _was_, I wouldn't be here right now, would I?"

"Oh, er, speaking of which," Slughorn began, looking at his gold-plated pocket watch nervously. "Don't you have a class now?"

"No, I'm free every day after potions – except for days when we have double potions, of course." The girl replied airily. She leaned her chair back on two legs, balancing carelessly while twirling a lock of her slightly wavy hair around her finger. Slughorn leaned back as if he were preparing to appraise her and smiled warmly. He heaved a contented sigh before Nyx let the chair drop back onto all four legs. She looked at him curiously. "What?"

"It's just so good seeing you again," he replied placidly.

Nyx smiled. "I could say the same to you. But from what I heard over the summer, Dumbledore didn't think you'd go for the job. I wasn't surprised to see you after he said that the man he was going to try to recruit was 'happily retired.'"

Slughorn laughed. "Well, you know Dumbledore…He has quite a way with convincing people to do things they would normally think preposterous."

The girl smiled and propped her elbows up on the desk. "I'm glad you came back, or I daresay I'd be rather lonely. Well, except for Severus again…"

"That's the second time you've mentioned him; now you _have_ to tell me how you know him!" Slughorn demanded playfully from the edge of his seat.

"First, we need to take care of business…" the student said in an unusually business-like manner. "The same potions will do-"

"Say no more, say no more," the professor interrupted, waving a pudgy hand in the air. "Same as before, you needn't tell me twice. Just be sure you give me a few days ahead to prepare them…If nothing else I hate it when you get so cross with me when they're late."

"Can you really blame me though?" Nyx asked, grinning.

Slughorn paused to chuckle a bit. "No, I suppose I can't. Now, about the past 50 years…"

------------------------------------------------

Evil Minion the raven was rudely awoken when the door to the girl's dormitory suddenly swung open. His master wandered in, smiling to herself.

"Ah, Horace…" she muttered bemusedly as she dropped her bag on her bed. "What a character…"

"Pardon?" EM asked, cocking his head to one side.

"Nothing, Evil Minion…Just talking to myself…" the disguised Lord Psycho replied, bending down to open her trunk. She began to shuffle through her things patiently.

"Still, who's 'Horace'?" the bird asked curiously, ruffling his feathers. 'Wait a minute…Isn't that the name of that new potions professor?"

"My, how observant you are." Lord Psycho replied in a bored tone as she heaved a pile of clothes on to the floor and continued her search.

"…Why on earth were you calling him by his first name then?" EM squawked in confusion. He peered down at his master, who was now digging around in her trunk feverishly.

"Where in all of-" the girl growled at no one in particular. EM waited patiently for an answer for a few moments, but before he could get Lord Psycho's attention she declared triumphantly, "Found you, you dratted book!"

"Er…" EM began cautiously as Lord Psycho started shoveling clothes and trinkets back into the trunk carelessly. "Did you hear my-?"

"Yes, Evil, I heard you…" she sighed like talking to him was the most tiresome thing she could be doing. "Why should I _not_ call professor Slughorn by his first name when he's not around?"

EM remained still for quite a long time, watching his master with shining black eyes. A soon as she looked up at him and asked "What?" he burst out with, "You're lying and you know it!"

"What are you-?" the surprised girl began. EM forced the door to his cage open and fluttered out to perch on the post of the bed next to Lord Psycho's.

"You've been here before, haven't you?" the raven spat accusingly.

"You've got no proof that I-" his master snapped back irritably.

"Oh, don't start with _that_!" EM said in annoyed disgust as he hopped off the bedpost and glided down. "I can tell you're lying to me, and I can tell _you_ I don't appreciate it!" In mid-sentence, EM began to transform back into his human state.

In a moment, Lord Psycho found herself being confronted by a rather irked underling who was replacing his headwrap out of habit. The former remained silent.

"I've always trusted _you_ with my most desperate secrets," EM said a bit less harshly. "Why won't you trust _me_?"

Lord Psycho stared at him. Was she imagining the hint of hurt in his voice? "I _do_ trust you." she said frankly.

EM scoffed. "You certainly have a funny way of showing it."

After a moment of silence, Lord Psycho suddenly realized something. The girl took on a defiant look, straightened herself up and her voice became accusing. "I'm surprised at you, Evil Minion."

"Wha-?" he began, amazed that she was acting so dim.

"You've always been my most loyal follower," she said. "And now you're questioning me on my private matters?" She scoffed cruelly. "I'm starting to wish I'd left you at home."

Now EM truly looked shocked. It had been a very long time since his master had been this hard on him, and he had forgotten how blatantly nasty she could be, even to her own loyal minions. He looked up into her piercing eyes cautiously.

_Stop looking at me like that, _he thought furiously. One of the things he could put up with the least was when Lord Psycho gave him that _look_; the kind of look one would give to a puppy that chewed up a pair of expensive shoes when its owner was starting to regret ever adopting it in the first place.

"I'll do whatever I like, Evil Minion." Lord Psycho replied. Her voice was cold and steely, reminding him of how she spoke to her enemies. "I am your _master_. What I say goes. No questions asked. And what I say right now is learn some self-control and some patience."

EM bowed his head a little in submission. He didn't need to be reminded of the promise he made to her 6 years ago twice. He was bound to her service, whether he liked it or not. Normally, he had few issues with his master, if any. But once they started something, it was bound to end in her satisfying triumph and his embarrassed submission. Afterwards, she would go on with life as if nothing had happened, but he would suffer for hours, even days. He knew why, but he would never admit it even to himself. He knew better; Lord Psycho was the best Legilimens he had ever met, and there was no way he could risk her obtaining that kind of information about him.

"If I may," EM asked softly, breaking the heavy silence. "I have one last question."

"Go ahead." Lord Psycho said. Her voice was neither taunting nor bored; just neutral.

"I understand why you wish I had more self-control," he admitted. "But why do you ask that I become more patient?" He was being very careful with his words. His master didn't seem _that_ angry with him, but he didn't want to make matters worse than he already had.

"Because, if you hadn't demanded that I answer your question immediately," Lord Psycho said. "I would have. But now, you have to wait until I think you are ready to hear the truth before I tell you even a piece of it."

She crouched down to slam the lid of her trunk and lock it. EM shifted his position in the uncomfortable silence that preceded Lord Psycho rising to her feet once again, bag in tow. She began to turn towards the door, but stopped abruptly.

Looking over her shoulder, seemingly at the floor, she said gently, "I _do_ understand your point about not seeming to trust you, and I apologize. I know what it's like to feel…mistrusted, for lack of a better word. That probably isn't how you'd describe it, but I think you understand what I mean. Anyway, just keep in mind that I _do_ trust you and that I _do_ give a damn about your feelings, although I don't really show it. The same goes for the others…although not so much on the trust part."

"Thank you." EM said quietly.

"Well," the girl continued, finally looking over at EM. "I think you ought to change back into your animagus form now. I'll be even more pissed off if you get me in trouble for sneaking a boy into the girls dormitory."

EM chuckled and began transforming back into a raven. "Have fun in class." He said tauntingly.

Lord Psycho forced a laugh before adding as she was on her way out of the room, "Don't worry, Jack, I will…"

The door shut loudly, leaving EM the raven to stare after the door in shock.

She…Why did…I've told her a thousand times… 

Sheer frustration forced EM to blurt out the last part of his thought to the empty room:

"…_never _call me by my real name!"

--------------------------------------------------

Professor Severus Snape opened the door to his new Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. He smiled to himself; he was quite proud of how he had furnished it. As he took a few steps in and began to close the door he glanced at the old clock on the wall. He was almost ten minutes early, but that was good. He liked having time to prepare for a class.

_Especially today…_ he thought somewhat nervously.

Before he went any further into the room he looked around carefully. He supposed that was the only disadvantage to having such a dark classroom; chances were that he wouldn't be able to see her. He stared at each desk in turn, watching for any change in the shadows. He took a few tentative steps towards one desk in particular. When he was an arm's reach away, he silently took a heavy book out of his bag, slowly raised it above the desk, and –

"**_BLOODY HELL!_**" Nyx yelled as the book cracked her over the head. Her hands immediately flew to her throbbing skull as she groaned in pain. After a moment she looked up to see who her attacker was. Snape was looking down at her, smirking triumphantly. "…Oh. It's _you_."

"Class hasn't even begun, and you're already asleep." The man said in a cool, almost taunting voice.

"Well you took so long getting here, I got tired of waiting." The girl replied matter-of-factly. The two stared at each other neutrally for a few moments. Nyx broke it by leaning back on her chair as she has done in Slughorn's room, but this time also propping her feet upon the desk. Snape looked upon her feet with disdain. She grinned at him the way she had done in the Great Hall the day before.

"Get your feet off the desk and get ready for class, Miss Harthcrow." Snape said icily as he began walking to his desk at the front of the room.

"Well aren't we bitter!" Nyx said in what sounded like shock. "It's me, isn't it?"

"Partly." Snape replied shortly, not looking at her. "Generally, though, I'm always like this. I thought you figured that out over the summer."

The student stopped to think for a moment as Snape began sifting through his bag, preparing for the upcoming class. "Can't really say I'm surprised. You were always like that, ever since I met you." She paused again to study the back of her professor's head. "Except you didn't look nearly as old back then."

Snape froze, then heaved a very annoyed sigh. He turned halfway to look at Nyx and said just as venomously as before, "Not all of us are as…_'gifted'_ as you, Nyx."

Nyx's expression turned from pleasantly amused to stony. She let her chair fall and put her feet back on the floor before walking over to Snape. She was silent until she was on the other side of his desk, glowering down at him. "You _know_ I don't consider _any_ of it a gift, Severus." He said nothing. "_You_ were the one that found me. _You_ saw what kind of condition I was in, and yet I still lived. I wish I was _dead_ right now, but we all know that isn't going to happen any time soon, don't we?"

Snape was still silent.

"I'm trying to make the best out of things as I can. The least you could do is lighten up, if only when _I'm_ around."

The professor sighed and looked straight into the deep, serious eyes. "I apologize, but I've been a little on edge today."

"So have I." Nyx replied, sounding very tired. "Sorry I'm being so irritable. Bad memories do that, you know."

Snape nodded as he straightened out some papers on the desk. "I know _exactly_ what you mean."

Before either could continue, Nyx's attention was taken to the door. "Sounds like the rest of class is just about here." She began making her way back to her seat. "Oh-" she said as she stopped short and turned around. "And don't forget that it's 'Ariana' now, not 'Nyx.'"

"In front of anyone else, I will always call you Miss Harthcrow, so there's nothing to worry about." He replied, all coldness gone from his voice.

Nyx nodded in approval as she reached her desk and students started wandering in, looking like they would rather be buried 6 feet underground than in Severus Snape's classroom.

--- to be continued in Chapter 4 : The Portrait ---

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (As usual, with the exception of Lord Psycho/Nyx/Ariana and Evil Minion.)

**A/N: **-cackles evilly- How's _that_ for secrets revealed? The next chapter gets even better. Sinster, talking paintings...oh boy oh boy oh boy! Back to _this_ chapter, I obviosly took some liberties with the events in Slughorn's class and description of Snape's room. That's beause I imagine everyone reading this has already read HBP, so you already know the details, so I don't need to waste time putting it in here. So there you are. And I wish I could have a Slughorn. He's absolutely priceless. Also in the next chappie, you'll get a weehint as to why Nyx/whatever-you-want-to-call-her is is such a bad mood all of the time. Plus a free toaster. Hooray!

...just kidding. (You look so dissapointed.)

**Final Words:** **_HUGE_** thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far! More are welcome as well. To everyone who just reads it, thanks for taking the time to do so and I hope you're enjoying it if you've gotten this far! (If you're not the why the hell are you reading this?) Hopefully some day you'll get the urge to submit a review, anonymous or not, because I would greatly appreciate it! Actually, the more encouraging reviews I get the more enthusiastic and driven I am to write new chapters faster and better! So, next time you think I'm being slow with updates (well, IF you do), keep that in mind...

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

--- **k**avi-**s**ama ---


	4. Chapter 4: The Portrait

Chapter 4 – The Portrait

Draco Malfoy saw a familiar shape descending the stairs to Slughorn's potions class in the dungeons. He skipped several steps to catch up with Ariana Harthcrow, who seemed oblivious to the world around her.

"Hey, Ariana!" he called out as he shortened the distance between them.

She looked up and around until she spotted her classmate. "Oh, hullo. Sorry, didn't hear you catching up with me."

"No problem." Draco said casually, falling into step with Ariana. "At least you won't be late for class today."

"That was _not_ my fault." Ariana said jokingly in a snooty tone. "I asked someone to wake me up, and we all know where that got us. She said she tried to wake me up, but I hit her every time she said something so she gave up and left me there." She faked a dramatic sigh. "Terrible, isn't it? And it's just because I'm the new girl, too!"

Draco laughed. "They can't be all that bad, can they?"

"Oh yes they can. Remember how Patsy, or whatever her name was, acted when I met you on the train?"

"Well…Pansy is a special case, I think…"

Ariana snorted as she turned a corner. "'Special case' indeed…You wouldn't believe the attitude on that girl unless you were me."

"And why's that?"

The girl was not quick to respond. "Well…" she began slowly, beginning to wish she hadn't said anything. "You know how in certain situations you say things that others consider…well, offensive, and you don't know how badly people will take it until they hear it?"

Draco was staring at her curiously. "Yes…"

"Well, I seemed to have said something in front of Pansy that…er…set her off."

"What did you say to her that 'set her off'?"

"…um…it's not really something one would hear in civilized conversation…if you catch my drift…"

"What?" Draco's tone was now more demanding. Pansy may have been rather childish now and then, in his opinion, but he was still – technically – her boyfriend, so it was his job to defend her.

Ariana now looked quite uncomfortable. "To be honest I'm not entirely sure if I should repeat it in front of a boy…Especially _you_…"

Draco stopped at the top of the last staircase before the potion's classroom level. He turned to face the girl and gave her a somewhat stern look. "Just tell me what you said, whether I'll be offended by it or not."

Ariana couldn't help but notice that he was trying to sound commanding, even a bit harsh. _Probably an effect of his father being sent off to Azkaban…I'll bet he's imitating him, whether he realizes it or not…_ she thought with a touch of pity. Before she opened her mouth to speak, a large painting behind the Death Eater's son caught her attention. She moved a little to the side to get a better look at it, and suddenly recoiled in what looked to Draco like terror.

He turned around to look in the direction of her frozen stare and saw a portrait of a rather handsome man. Draco surmised that it was an exceedingly old painting because the style of the dark green and black robes the wizard was wearing was obsolete and very different from modern-day robes. The man in the portrait stared at the two students with dark, unfathomable eyes, his stern face framed by slightly wavy, shoulder-length black hair. Below his short moustache and beard and on his high collar was a small, silver shape that resembled an 'S'. Draco thought the man's pale hand was resting on something made of snakeskin, but the painting _was_ very old and slightly damaged, so it was difficult to tell. He also noticed the large, rather clunky gold ring on the man's finger; it was set with a large, black stone that resembled a void as it wasn't reflecting any light.

Draco turned back to Ariana as she scrambled to her feet, looking very pale. Before he could utter a word, she grabbed him by the arm and started dragging him down the stairs. He glanced back at the portrait and tried to speak, but Ariana cut him off.

"Don't speak, and don't look at him." Her voice was cold, distant, and unquestionable. Draco was smart enough to know better than to go against someone speaking in _that_ tone. He had learned _that_ fact with his father years ago.

A sudden noise made Ariana stop short. It came from behind them, in the direction of the portrait. To Draco, it sounded like a rasping, hissing snake. To Ariana, it sounded horrifically familiar.

---------------------------------------------------------

Professor Horace Slughorn heard the door to his classroom open and bang loudly against the stone wall. He turned to see Draco walking in, and was honestly disappointed that it wasn't Nyx. He quickly forgot about it as the blonde walked up to his desk, looking shaken.

"What's the matter, m'boy?" Slughorn asked before Draco opened his mouth.

"Ariana said she might be a few minutes late again today." He said, trying very hard to steady his voice.

Slughorn did his best to conceal an annoyed sigh. _Just because she's taken my class already doesn't mean she can skip it! _"Did she say why?"

"Well, not really." The student replied. "She was acting _very_ strange though."

That caught the professor's attention. "Strange as in…what?"

"When she saw this old portrait out in the hall, she looked like she was about to pass out. Then she tried to get away from it as fast as possible, but then I heard this weird noise…"

"What kind of noise, Draco?" Slughorn was beginning to worry. Nyx only acted noticeably odd when there was something _very_ wrong.

"It sounded like…" he started hesitantly, as if his own words weren't making any sense. "…a snake hissing. But not like a normal hiss. It sounded…evil, I suppose."

The Potions Master paled noticeably. He scurried around his desk and began hurrying Draco to the door. "Show me where that painting is, quickly."

After walking down three halls, rounding two corners and ascending the last flight of stairs, Slughorn suddenly barked at an alarmed Draco to run and get Madam Pomfrey as quickly as possible.

The portrait was hanging haphazardly on the wall with a large burn-like mark where the man's head had been, recognized by Slughorn to be the result of a very powerful fire-based curse that had found its target. The wizard had fled the painting, and now all that could be seen was the green curtain that had been behind him, with a massive bloodstain on it. Slughorn knew it was fresh; he could see the painted blood glistening and soaking through the fabric. Opposite, lying spread-eagle on the stairs was the – hopefully – unconscious Nyx, sporting a deep, stab-like wound in the center of her abdomen. Her right hand was holding on to her wand limply, and her blood was everywhere.

------------------------------------------------------

The first thing Nyx saw when her eyes cracked open the tiniest bit was the familiar ceiling of the Hospital Wing. She groaned inwardly as she strained to remember what she had been doing last. Nothing was coming to mind, even after several minutes. She opened her eyes once more, a feat that seemed worthy of an award at the moment. The apparent numbness in her body was beginning to wear off, and now everything felt like it weighed as much as a troll. Nyx generally felt sore, but she noticed an annoying but not overwhelmingly painful sting in her abdomen every time she breathed. Or perhaps it _was_ casing her a great deal of agony…she really couldn't tell. Her mind and senses were terribly fuzzy.

After a few more minutes of resting in the silent room, Nyx turned her head on the pillow to each side, looking for someone to talk to. She _needed_ to remember how she got in there, and why she seemed to be injured. To her right, she could see that it was late afternoon through the large windows. Nyx stopped for a few moments to admire the poetically colorful clouds. She remembered seeing those kinds of clouds many times before, but at present she couldn't remember where. Was she suffering from temporary amnesia? After a few more frustrating minutes in the empty room, Nyx tried to prop herself up to get a better look around and maybe call for someone.

A sudden scream sent Madam Pomfrey and Professor Slughorn rushing into the room. They found Nyx lying on the bed with a terrible grimace of pain distorting her face. Her hands were clutching the spot where her wound had been, and her breathing was shallow and quick.

"You tried to get up, didn't you?" the nurse said as she grabbed a bottle of painkiller from a shelf. She seemed relieved that it was nothing more than pain that made the student screech like that. Slughorn didn't seem as calm as he seated himself in a conjured chair next to Nyx's bed.

"I suppose it's no good telling you not to move now." He chuckled. Nyx found no comfort in it; she never found comfort in forced words, and she could _always_ tell when people were forcing it. "Just lay here and rest for a while and you'll be good as new in no time." He smiled down at her in a rather fatherly way.

Madame Pomfrey hurried over and helped Nyx down the bitter medicine, also with the assistance of the Potions Master. Only after she had made herself comfortable did the girl speak again.

"How'd I get here, and what in hell's wrong with me?" she asked weakly.

The nurse didn't seem to hear from across the room, but Slughorn looked at her almost pitifully. He began fumbling for words and avoided meeting Nyx's eyes. Her temper started to rise. It had been a very long time since someone had done that to her, and it hadn't done anyone any good then.

"Just tell me." She said as forcefully as possible without straining herself too much. The painkiller wouldn't kick in for a little while, and she didn't care to feel like she was being stabbed with white-hot metal again.

Slughorn looked regretfully into her eyes for a moment to see if she really meant it, and then quietly asked Madame Pomfrey to leave them so they could talk. As soon as the door to her office shut, Slughorn heaved a tired sigh.

"To tell you the complete truth," he began, staring at the floor. "We have _no idea_ what happened to you. We have guesses, but until you tell us what really went on we can't know."

Nyx's hopes fell. "Funny. I can't seem to remember much of anything right now…" She fell silent to hold in a shriek of frustration. "Well, to start, who was the last person to see me?"

"Draco Malfoy, as far as I know." The professor replied as he leaned back in his chair. "He told me you thought you'd be a bit late this morning, but you didn't tell him why."

"That sounds…vaguely familiar…" the girl murmured, struggling to force her mind to work properly. "Continue. Maybe you'll say something to help me remember…"

"Well, Draco said that you were behaving very strangely, so _I_ started worrying."

"Strangely as in…?"

"He said you jumped back in fear when you saw some old portrait in the hall –"

"Who was in the painting?" Nyx's voice sounded hopeful. She was beginning to remember seeing a portrait recently, but she couldn't recall what it looked like or who it was of. She _must_ have known the person to have 'jumped back in fear.'

"That's part of the problem." Slughorn replied in a defeated tone. "That portrait was never identified, firstly because it was so old and secondly because no one even knows who painted it."

"Could you bring it in here? I have a strange feeling that I'll be able to tell you who it is."

"Well, that's the _other_ part of the problem. When we – that is, Mr. Malfoy and myself – found you, whoever was in the painting had already left it. I suppose that was because it must have been hit by a curse that you fired before _you_ were hit." Slughorn paused to make himself a cup of tea with a casual wave of his wand. "Your wand was in your hand when we found you. Do you recall using it for anything?"

"No. The painting sounds very familiar, though. Did Draco say anything about what it looked like? Well, that's supposing he saw it, too."

The professor paused to think. "His description was very vague. I guess he only looked at it for a moment. He said it was of a man with black hair, about to his shoulders, and he was wearing very old-fashioned black and dark green robes…I believe he also said he was wearing an odd ring, and he was quite pale…"

As he trailed off, Slughorn looked down at Nyx. Her face had gone blank, and her eyes were expressionless. The professor waited a few moments before moving to touch her on the shoulder. He was afraid something had gone wrong for her to freeze like that. Without warning, Nyx spoke in a hollow voice.

"Did he say anything about his eyes?"

"No. Not that _I_ recall, anyway."

The unusual girl fell silent for almost another minute, during which Slughorn sipped his tea, waiting patiently although on edge for her to do something. When she spoke again, her voice was soft, and almost vulnerable.

"Horace…" 

"Yes, Nyx?"

"Bring Draco in here…And ask Severus to come as well…If my guess is correct, he should hear it too…"

Slughorn rose slowly from his chair. "I'll be back as quickly as I can, Nyx."

As soon as the large man had made it through the door and was a long way down the hall, a small tear escaped from the corner of Nyx's eye and dripped onto the white pillow. The events of the past morning had suddenly come back to her as Slughorn repeated Draco's description. She was almost totally certain that she remembered who the man in the portrait was, but she needed to hear it from Draco first.

But for now, she could only hope.

Please…let me be wrong… ---------------------------------------------- 

It seemed like only moments had passed since Slughorn left the room twenty minutes before, and now he had returned, followed by a tired-looking Draco Malfoy and high-strung-looking Severus Snape. Nyx was barely conscious, but it wasn't entirely the painkiller's fault. After being awake for a while, speaking and thinking, she suddenly felt drained of all energy. She supposed it was an after-effect of the curse she had sustained earlier. That and the shock of her memory returning wasn't helping her condition terribly.

"Ny- I-I mean, Ariana?" Slughorn stammered as he approached her bed. "We're back."

"Good." She replied as she struggled to open her eyes. She had a difficult time convincing herself that they were open because her vision had become simply terrible in the time that Slughorn was gone. "I have a request of you, Draco."

"Sure." He said, moving closer to her head, opposite Slughorn. Snape was standing at the end of the bed, watching his student closely.

"I want you to describe the portrait we saw in the hall this morning in as much detail as possible." Nyx said slowly before lying through her teeth. "I can't remember what else happened after seeing it, and I think if I can remember exactly what it looked like I'll remember what happened to me."

"A-all right…" Draco started uneasily. For the next minute or so, the young Slytherin struggled to recall as many details about the painting as possible. After giving a good visual of nearly the entire canvas, Draco came to a halt at the man's eyes. He couldn't find the right words to describe them. "They were dark, and…they remind me of someone…nasty, I suppose…maybe someone with a temper, or likes to be mean all the time…They had a feeling to them though…Kind of like…like…" He looked like he wanted to hit something in frustration. Before he could utter another word, Nyx spoke quietly, clearly, and with unconcealed pain.

"…cold, cruel, uncaring, unloving, controlling, unforgiving, hateful, twisted and frightening?"

It took Draco only a moment to blurt out as if he had seen the light, "_Exactly!_"

Nyx looked depressed and in a great deal of pain now. Draco's triumphant expression slid off his face quickly.

"What?" he asked with genuine confusion. "Did I say something?"

"Not intentionally." His classmate replied frankly. "You can go back to whatever you were doing before. I don't have anything else to ask you. Thank you for your help."

"Oh. Um, sure." The boy said, a bit surprised at being given orders from a classmate like that, and from her of all people. He glanced at Snape for reassurance and received a short nod and a quick jerk of the thumb towards the door. Draco took the not-so-subtle hint and made his way back to the common room, feeling a bit nervous for the new girl. Something was giving him the feeling that whoever was in the portrait reminded her of someone that had caused her a great deal of pain. But he was sure it couldn't have actually been the person that hurt her.

_No, of course not…That painting was probably a couple hundred years old and she can't be much older than me…_ he thought. _But still, how could she describe his eyes like that? I'd never be able to get that kind of feeling from a painting of a complete stranger before, no matter how talented the artist is…it's almost like she actually knew him…_

Draco stopped walking abruptly as an insane idea suddenly hit him. He deliberated for a moment, then dashed back down the hall towards the Hospital Wing.

--------------------------------------------------------

The girl on the bed sighed heavily. Slughorn seated himself on the same chair he had conjured up earlier as Snape sat at the foot of the bed next to Nyx's feet.

"Did he help any?" Slughorn asked, not sure if he wanted to hear a 'yes' or 'no.'

"In a way, he did." Nyx replied quietly. "He just reinforced what I already knew…sort of like when you know something but you have to hear someone else say it to really believe it…"

"So…have you remembered who was in the painting?" the Potions Master asked from the edge of his chair.

"Yes. I remembered everything just after you left." Nyx replied in an emotionless tone. "But I'm glad you weren't there. I would be in a worse state than I am now…"

"I've seen much worse." Snape said, folding his arms across his chest. "And from _you_, especially." He sort of half-smiled at her knowingly.

"I mean _mentally_, you git." Nyx growled at him much more venomously than she had expected for feeling so pathetic. Slughorn shot the other professor a pleading look as if to say "_please_ don't strain her, she's been through enough already." Nyx took a calming breath and continued with a bit more strength, "Anyway, the man in that portrait is exactly who I knew it was from the moment I saw it."

"How sure are you?" Snape asked while repositioning himself so that he could look at her better.

"I would bet my life on it." She replied seriously. "Better yet, I'd bet _your_ life on it. Besides, there isn't anyone to dispute me. I've seen him before in person, and the painter must have been exceptionally gifted to portray him so accurately. That was painted far too recently to have been a _true_ portrait with a living, breathing subject."

A flash of inspiration lit up Slughorn's face suddenly. His hands began quivering as his mouth moved without making a sound. Nyx ands Snape looked at him curiously. "I-it was him, wasn't it? Yo-Your – "

"Yes." Nyx cut him off. "It _was_ him. That's why I could understand him and Draco only heard the hissing of a snake."

"Hold on!" Snape blurted out. "You mean that portrait was of – "

" – the one person who's name I cannot stand to hear?" the girl interrupted, shooting Snape a dangerous look. "The same."

The ex-Potions Master looked more than mildly surprised at this new information. Slughorn had sunk into his chair, looking quite helpless.

"W-well…" the portly man began weakly. "…so what happened after you recognized him?"

"I sent Draco off to tell you I'd be late since I didn't think our reunion would be short." Nyx said, staring blankly at the ceiling. "We talked for a bit – and no, I _don't_ care to repeat what was said because I imagine your guesses are about right – and then he made a most unpleasant comment, which made me understandably pissed off, so I cursed him."

"You mean the painting?" Snape asked. His voice was noticeably different; he seemed to have realized the risks of messing around with Nyx after this encounter.

"Painting, himself…It's the same to me. Anyway, as soon as I fired the curse he sent one back at me."

"That can't be possible!" Slughorn blustered. "A painting can't use magic! It's _absurd_!"

"I assure you, Horace, they can." Nyx replied calmly. The others didn't look convinced. "Well, then, if a painting can't use a hex _then what the hell am I doing in here with a hole in my stomach_?"

Snape and Slughorn looked apologetic, but said nothing. Nyx continued in a more restrained tone. "From the looks of it, his curse landed. Did you see anything on the painting that made it look like it'd been hit?"

"Yes. There was a large burn mark around the center of it. I suppose you were trying to set him on fire or something." Slughorn said. Nyx nodded. "There was also something that looked like blood on the curtain in the painting, and I doubt it was there originally."

Nyx smiled peacefully and closed her eyes. "Good. At least we're even on this level."

Slughorn smiled grimly. "I don't mean to offend, but I doubt I want to see you make everything _else _even with him."

The student chuckled. "I don't blame you. If circumstances were any different I probably wouldn't have the nerve to go through with it if I got the chance." She looked at Snape, who seemed to be staring at his feet. "What about you, Severus?"

"I won't watch." He answered in a melancholy tone. "As a matter of fact, I'll likely be as far away as possible when that fight's going on; if nothing else, just for my own safety."

"Well, that's what my safeguards are for, after all." Nyx said almost cheerfully.

"Speaking of which," Snape said, rising from the bed. "I have something that might make you feel a bit better." Nyx and Slughorn watched him curiously as he reached into his robes to retrieve a small black flask.

The girl's face lit up. "Is that what I think it is?"

Snape shrugged and put it in her outstretched hand. "I wouldn't know. My Legilimency isn't _that_ powerful."

Nyx brought the small flask up to her face and, with considerable difficulty, raised her head up and flipped the top open. She took a long breath with the opening held under her nose. She then giggled excitedly and drank the entire contents in a matter of seconds. When she was quite done, she let her hand with the flask in it drop lazily onto the bed.

"I needed that." She sighed contentedly. As she returned the flask to Snape she added in a sing-songy voice, "I owe you one, Sevvy."

Snape grimaced. "You can repay me by never, _ever_ calling me that again."

Nyx laughed, and Slughorn tried to contain a chuckle as he rose to his feet and dismissed the chair.

"Well, we should let you get some rest now." Slughorn said as he fixed his dragon-hide jacket. "Poppy said you'd be good as new in a day or two, but only if we all left you alone to sleep and take your medicine."

Nyx nodded in agreement. "Before you go, am I going to have to make up any work I missed, either today or tomorrow?"

"Not for us, of course." Snape said. "I'm sure Horace here can get you out of all your other class work as well." He gave the shorter man a significant look.

Nyx laughed. "Yes, I agree on letting _him_ handle that. No offense, but you're just _awful_ with people, Severus."

Snape replied with a look of mild contempt, but it soon gave way to a partial smile as the two professors bid their friend good-bye. But neither of them could help but fear for Nyx's well being. Both of them knew her unfortunate story, and they weren't sure how much more pain she could handle, especially with seeing _his_ portrait so early in the year. It was odd, though, that neither of them recalled ever seeing that particular painting on display before, and especially not anywhere near the dungeons.

As the two professors neared the door, they all heard a loud thud and running footsteps in the direction of the dungeons. All Snape was able to see by the time he got into the hall was the back of a light blonde-haired Slytherin boy who'd been eavesdropping.

"I do believe that young Mr. Malfoy is too curious for his own good." Slughorn said after he peered after him.

"I'm not worried." Nyx replied. "He may have heard everything we said, but he can't make any sense out of it."

"Good point." Slughorn said after a pause. "He knows you know who was in the painting but none of us ever said his name, so that's as good as not knowing in the first place."

Snape still didn't look pleased. "Whether he's learned anything or not, eavesdropping on staff and other students isn't exactly encouraged. I'll have a talk with him."

"Oh, come now, Severus," the portly man said, throwing a friendly arm around the other. "The boy doesn't know anything that'll cause any harm. You know the saying, 'no harm, no foul,' right?"

"Yes," he replied in a noticeably annoyed tone. "_However_, I am still his Head of House, and I have to do my job. So, if you will excuse me…" He said the last part as he somewhat forced his way out of Slughorn's partial embrace.

Slughorn stared after the ex-Potions master as he walked briskly down the hall after his student, black robes billowing behind him. "Always thought Severus was a bit odd." Slughorn said almost to himself.

Nyx chuckled from across the room. "Yes, he was like that when I met him, too. I blame a bad past."

Slughorn turned to face her, grinning. "Well of course you would, seeing as you can relate to it so well."

The student agreed grimly. As she was about to begin her next sentence, the door to Madame Pomfrey's office burst open. Madame Pomfrey herself was standing in the doorway looking quite irked.

"I don't mean to interrupt," she said rather sharply. "But Miss Harthcrow really _must_ be getting her rest sometime today."

"Sorry, Poppy," Slughorn apologized earnestly as he started creeping out the door. He gave a final wave to Nyx, which she returned, and closed the door.

Madame Pomfrey sighed and asked Nyx if there was anything she needed before she went back into her office.

"I'd be very grateful for some sleeping draught, if you have any." The student replied. The painkiller was working wonderfully, but Nyx doubted she'd have an easy time dozing off with so much on her mind, and she _was_ beginning to feel tired.

The nurse, to Nyx's delight, administered the potion, and promptly left. Nyx soon fell into a peaceful sleep, which was fortunately dreamless. She thought if she were to have any dreams they would probably be nightmares, and she didn't need to have any of those right now. She had plenty of things to fear outside of her own overtaxed mind.

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Nyx woke several hours later to a very dark room. Turning uncomfortably to look out a window, she saw that it was well into the night. The view was no less amazing as when she had looked earlier. All the stars were out and there were hardly any clouds. A large void in the stars reminded her that it was the New Moon. She pulled the blankets closer as she lay on her side and stared at the night sky as if she were in a trance. A soft sound broke it, and she looked at the nightstand next to her head. Was it her imagination or was there a rather large bird staring back at her?

Nyx waved her hand after poking it above the sheets and thought, "_Lumos_." A bright light now shone from her fingertips, illuminating the raven perched on the table, who was now shielding its eyes from the painful light.

"Evil Minion?" Nyx asked groggily.

"Yeah, it's me." the raven answered with its back to her. "Could you douse the light? My eyes don't appreciate it very much."

"Oh, right. Hang on." She said as she lit the candle on the same nightstand and waved the magical light away. "What took you so long to get here?"

"Well, as soon as I heard you'd been found near death I came up here to wait." EM began, remaining in his raven form. "I stayed here from the time they brought you up until around 4 in the afternoon or thereabouts. I left because you were pretty much comatose, but in stable condition, and I was hungry. I figured out after I came back about an hour later that you'd been awake for half an hour, and I missed it. So, I've been sitting here ever since, waiting for you to wake up so I could talk to you."

"Cool. I have my own watch-bird." Nyx joked, smiling. "Seriously, thank you for staying by my side despite my total lack of movement."

"No problem." The bird replied. "It's my job anyway, right?"

Nyx chuckled. "Yes, I suppose so."

"So, what happened to you anyway?" EM asked, sounding genuinely concerned. "I heard something about you being attacked by a painting."

"Whoever said it was telling the truth." His master replied simply. She went on to recount the tale almost exactly as when she told Slughorn and Snape earlier, except this time she omitted the part about knowing who was in the portrait. She also lied about the 'hissing noise' Draco reported, saying that the man in the painting somehow knew her name, so she stayed behind to check it out. Something he said offended her, so they exchanged curses, and she remembered nothing after that.

"…How odd." EM said after she was finished. "Why on earth would a painting want to pick a fight with _you_ of all people?"

Nyx shrugged. "I haven't the foggiest." She paused for a few moments, seemingly to consider if she should change the subject or not. She didn't really want to linger on the painting too much longer, so she decided 'yes.' "By the way," she added. "Have you heard anything from the others yet?"

"A letter came this afternoon." EM said as he turned to look for the said letter. After a few moments of digging through some random objects on the table, EM suddenly stopped and said sheepishly, "Oh, that's right. I put it with your other things in the dormitory. Guess I forgot." He turned around to face his master again. "Well, I remember the gist of it anyway. It said everyone's doing well, except for Schlange because he misses you, and that things in general were going unexpectedly smoothly. The only major problem is the difficulty we're having in recruiting the vampires. They're apparently split between you and Voldemort, who's also asking for their loyalty. Otherwise, they got about 6 more witches and wizards, one of whom was supposed to be a former Death Eater, but they still have to look into that."

"That would be _very_ good if we had an ex-D.E. on our side." Nyx mused. "Anything else of importance to report?"

"Not that I recall." EM answered, fluffing his feathers. "I'll bring it down for you tomorrow morning; it would be a bit hard to read it at this hour even if there was someone to let me in to get it."

Nyx nodded in agreement and fell silent. She thought for a few moments, then spoke in an unusually clear voice. "Do you remember what you asked me yesterday?"

"About whether you were lying or not?" EM said just a bit bitterly.

"Well, that too. You asked me if I'd been here before, and I refused to answer. I've decided that now's as good a time as any to tell you the truth." She said quietly. "I _was_ going to put this off until later, but after the thing with that portrait…Well, I thought I should tell you sooner rather than later." She stopped to take a deep breath before saying calmly, "Yes, I _have_ been here before. I met Horace Slughorn and Severus Snape back then, and that's why I'm so close to them now. I'm also a lot older than I look, but there's no need for me to tell you my _exact_ age. Just trust me when I say I'm old enough to be your grandmother."

EM the raven stared at her blankly. "…really?"

Nyx gave him a tired look. "I just told you that this is all the truth."

"No, I mean 'really' as in 'I don't believe it', as in 'I wasn't expecting that.'" The bird replied quickly.

"…oh." Nyx said a bit dimly.

EM chuckled briefly before he caught the look his master was giving him in the low light. "Well, I _am_ grateful that you told me this. If nothing else it makes me believe you trust me more. Not that I don't trust your word alone, but it helps to have proof."

Nyx nodded and flopped back onto the bed. "I'm glad it makes _one_ of us feel better." The raven cocked its head to one side curiously. "Sorry, but you'll have to wait quite some time before you hear _that_ story."

"Fine. As long as I get to hear it eventually." EM said placidly.

"Oh, you will…" she said with a yawn.

"Am I boring you?" the bird asked with a hint of amusement.

"No, I've just been unusually tired lately." His master answered as she crawled back under the warm covers. "Sorry if I'm being rude, but I think I'd very much like to go back to sleep now."

EM chuckled. "I understand. You're supposed to be good as new in a day or two, right?"

Nyx mumbled an affirmative from under her pillow.

"All right, I suppose I can wait to bother you until then." The raven said grudgingly. "Have a nice sleep, Lord Psycho."

"You too, Jack…" was her half-asleep response. EM twitched at the mention of his name again.

"Hey, Lord Psycho?"

"…hmm?"

"Do you remember me asking you not to use my real name? _Ever_?"

"…uh-huh…"

"So why do you still call me 'Jack'?"

"…I like the name Jack…"

"…really?"

"…yuh-huh…"

"…what about _people_ named Jack? Do you like them?"

"…some…"

"More or less than five?"

"…one…"

"Do _I_ know him?"

"…"

"…Lord Psycho?"

"…sleep…wanna sleep…"

"…Nyx?"

"…how'd you know my name?"

"I heard someone else call you by it. But you didn't answer my question."

"…so?"

"So I want to know what your answer is."

"…maybe…I don't know…"

"I think I do."

"…oh really…"

"Yes. And so do you, so just say it."

"…I…"

"…?"

"…"

"…Lord Psycho?"

"…"

"Nyx?"

"…"

"…damn."

His master was already sound asleep.

--- to be continued in Chapter 5 : Snakes and Sneaks ---

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. Except for Nyx and Evil Minion.

**A/N:** ...and the plot thickens. And, no, you won't find out whoCreepy Portrait Man is for a while. (Though you may be able to guess itcorrectly...) Not much to say this chapter, except there'll be lots of fun in the next one. Hooray for people sneaking up on other people! ...and nightmare sequences! Yay!

**Final Words:** As usual, many thanks to all readers and reviewers. More reviews welcome, also as usual. Eh. Really haven't got a thing to say right now. How sad. Guess I'll just stop here.

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

--- **k**avi-**s**ama ---


	5. Chapter 5: Snakes and Sneaks

Chapter 5 – Snakes and Sneaks

Nyx found herself walking down a long, dark corridor, possibly somewhere inside Hogwarts. She was alone, and terribly cold. The girl could barely see the stone walls and floor around her before they disappeared into black nothingness a small distance away. She supposed she knew where she was going, and that she might be looking for someone or something. The only sounds she could detect were her echoing footsteps and the heavy silence beyond them. After a time, the shadows around her feet started to move strangely. They appeared to be dancing like shadows tend to do when there's a flame nearby, but Nyx noted that they didn't start to resemble tendrils in such a situation.

She took a few more steps and the shadows began looking more and more like wriggling vines. Nyx finally felt nervous when one of the shapes came very close to her foot and she heard a hiss. Soon, the shadows started to take shape and Nyx could actually see them writhing. Not a moment later, she was surrounded by black, snarling, ill-tempered snakes. As she dodged their fangs and tried not to step on any with unnatural calmness, the corridor suddenly opened up into a huge circular chamber lit by an eerie green light. The snakes fell silent, cut off the exit and spread out behind the girl, who was looking around the room curiously. She felt that she recognized the place, but it had looked different that last time she'd been there.

Her attention immediately went to the center of the room where the green light had illuminated a solitary figure. It was a man in a long, black cloak - or at least Nyx supposed it was a man – with his back to her. She began walking towards him, apparently with the intention of asking him if he knew who she was. But before she could reach him, he turned around slowly and his gaze seemed to pierce straight into her soul. Nyx screamed and recoiled as she had when she saw the portrait, and for good reason; it was the same man.

The moment she saw him in full, he was gone, and in his place, a gigantic snake had risen from the ground in his place. The serpent towered over her, blocking out the green light from above. All Nyx cold see were the beast's large, yellow eyes, which also seemed very familiar to her. The snake hissed darkly and raised half of its immense body up in preparation to strike. It held the position for what seemed like an eternity, yet Nyx made no move to get out of the way. The snake struck at the girl, jaws gaping, but when it made contact with her it crumbled as if it were made of ash. All that remained of the serpent was a pile of dark soot in front of Nyx.

Confused and reasonably shaken, she sat down on the cold, wet floor and stared at the ashes. Nyx soon noticed an outstretched hand with long, pale fingers near her face. She followed the line of the arm with her eyes up to a pale face looking down at her. The young man in school robes appeared to be about 17 or 18, and he was _very_ handsome – at least to Nyx. His dark hair and eyes and slightly drawn features seemed familiar, but unlike the previous man she wasn't quite sure who he was.

He was now looking at her almost pleadingly, stretching his hand even closer to her. Nyx stared back at him curiously.

"_Take it…_" he said in a strange voice.

The moment he spoke, it was like Nyx's memories had come rushing back and he was no longer a stranger. She smiled at him and moved to put her hand in his, and he smiled back. But the moment their skin touched, the handsome young man changed into a terrifyingly disfigured and mutilated corpse, suspended limply in the air as if by a spell. His dead eyes were staring at Nyx blankly, with a hint of accusation, as if it was Nyx who killed him. Without warning, his mouth moved very slowly as if he was going to speak, and a horrible rasping noise escaped from his throat. It slowly turned into an enraged snarl as glistening fangs sprang up in place of his teeth; his eyes came back to life and he sprang at Nyx's throat, jaws gaping, and –

- Nyx woke up screaming.

She was panting heavily, drenched in an icy sweat, horrified. She was sitting in her bed, as she soon realized, quite safe and unhurt. Out of the corner of her eye she saw EM, in his human form, sitting on the floor next to her bed. He was watching her calmly as if he had expected her to scream bloody murder like that. Nyx sighed and flopped back onto her bed and pulled the covers up to her chin.

"It was only a nightmare." She said quietly to the man before turning on her side, facing away from him. She didn't want him to see how badly that dream had shaken her. Nyx wasn't sure what it meant, but she definitely knew who was in it.

"I know. I saw it too." Her minion replied in a whisper.

Nyx sighed and muttered, "That's right. I forgot you're a Ragshiel. Why were you watching my dream?"

"I noticed that I didn't hear you breathing for a little while, so I looked in through the curtains to make sure you didn't die, and your eyes were wide open. I tried to get you to snap out of it but you weren't responding, so I got nervous and checked to see if you were having a nightmare or something, and you were." He paused to pull his dark wrap up over his nose a little more. "I started watching when the shadows turned into snakes."

"You didn't miss anything before that." His master replied quietly.

"I have to ask…" EM started, leaning in towards Nyx. "Who were those men and what was that huge snake for?"

"Now that I think about it, the snake seemed like it was supposed to be a basilisk. Wouldn't you think so?"

"I suppose. They're said to be able to grow over a hundred feet in length, if they live long enough. But why would you have a dream with a basilisk in it?"

"I don't know. Nothing in that dream made sense." She lied. "But I know the first man was the one from that portrait that attacked me a few weeks ago. The other one…"

"He looked like he was wearing school robes, so I think he may have been a student." EM said. "You said you were here before. Did he look like anyone you knew back then?"

Nyx was silent for a few moments. "No. I don't know who he is." It was almost painful for her to lie to EM like that, but there was no way she could tell him the truth; he'd kill her, and he certainly wouldn't feel sorry about it afterwards.

EM sensed this. He knew there must be one hell of a good reason to lie to him again after that incident at the beginning of the year where he blew up at her. Then again, perhaps she was doing it for his benefit. But he couldn't think of an example of how her lying to him was better than hearing the truth, and let it slide. He didn't feel like making his master mad after that unnerving nightmare; she was irritable enough on a normal morning.

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Later that morning, Nyx scampered off to the Great Hall to help herself to some breakfast. EM followed her in his raven form. He only joined her for meals every now and then, and today she had actually asked him to come along. He didn't know what the occasion was, but he was happy to oblige nonetheless.

Nyx slid into a seat across from Draco, who was placidly eating his eggs. He mumbled a greeting in response to Nyx's rather cheery "hello." EM supposed she was acting like that to make herself forget about the pervious night's ordeal.

As Nyx reached over a few plates for the toast, she looked closely at the boy seated opposite her. She looked concerned and asked in a matching tone, "Are you feeling well, Draco?"

"Yes, I'm fine." He answered, surprised at the question. "Why?"

"You look tired…and possibly a bit ill." She replied. Nyx doubted that his baggy, tired eyes and abnormally pale complexion were the cause of a lack of sleep, but she had to ask. "I don't mean to sound like your mother, but maybe you should – "

"I said I'm _fine_." Draco cut in a bit forcefully. "I appreciate your help, but it really isn't needed."

Nyx bit back a sharp retort as she heard the rush of wings overhead. She looked up and over her shoulder to see a flock of owls swooping in and finding their messages' recipients. She glanced around anxiously as if she was expecting something for her. And, finally, a large barn owl descended onto the empty seat next to Nyx and presented a letter. It was addressed to "Lord Psycho."

Nyx winced as she read the name on the front of the envelope, and quickly turned it over so that no one could see it. _That idiot…I told him never to address it to me like that!_

EM peered over at his master as she tore the letter open on her lap. He thought about how odd it was that she'd been getting so many letters for the past month from unknown senders. If it was one person, they were going though an awful lot of trouble sending a new owl every time, especially since one came almost every day. If there were multiple senders, EM doubted any of them wrote more than once, again because he never saw the same owl twice. From what he saw of several letters, they all looked like they were all written by the same person. But he never learned what they contained because after reading each one thoroughly, his master would jot a few notes down in a small black notebook, then shred the letters and toss them into the common room fire.

Nyx read the letter quickly, then again, and then a third time. As she moved to stuff it in her pocket EM caught a few numbers: "10 – 6, 12." He thought for a while as his master began her meal. Such vague numbers could mean anything; a date, time, house number, combination to a lock… He gave up shortly before a rather tiny owl carrying a rather cumbersome package descended onto their table. EM immediately recognized the small bird as Sakura's pet, and supposed that the package was from the same group.

Nyx chuckled as she saw the owl. The white bird had a pair of silvery-blue ribbons and gold bells around where it's ears might have been. "This must be Hyourin Akanbou." She said as she took the package carefully. It was considerably heavier than she had been expecting, especially for such a small owl. It was addressed to "Ariana Harthcrow (and Evil Minion)," so she set the box down between herself and the raven and pointed to the label. EM took the hint and started pecking at the brown paper as Nyx tore the other side open. Hyourin Akanbou watched curiously from her place next to a saltshaker.

Nyx opened the wooden box with wand-induced ease once the paper was off, and burst into laughter the moment she saw what had made it so heavy. A small note from Sakura sat on top of the other parcels, and it said, "Here are a few things we thought you two would enjoy." A large box of Oreos and a heavy bag of birdseed were underneath it.

"What idiots!" EM snapped quietly. "Ravens are scavengers! A slab of rotting meat would've been better!"

With a disgusted grimace, Nyx said, "I think you may have gotten your wish." She pulled out a rather large, semi-decomposed steak wrapped in some kind of translucent cloth with a note attached to it. "'Just kidding!'" she laughed, but stopped short to cover her mouth and nose. The meat smelled similar to Schlange's breath after dinner, a smell fatal to all mortals.

EM chirped with joy and began picking at the meat hungrily. Nyx set the other two packages aside and looked in the bottom of the box to find several envelopes. None were addressed, so Nyx figured they were intended for her. She opened the pink, glittering one first; it was a note from Sakura telling her about recent events in the citadel, mostly amusing incidents and a fight or two. Also enclosed were two pages of Japanese-styled comics, hand-drawn by Sakura, depicting entertaining situations that could result from her master and EM being at Hogwarts. Nyx's favorite was the one taking place in the Slytherin girls' dormitory. EM was standing there looking aloof with a little question mark above his head while several girls in the middle of getting dressed pointed at him and screamed things like "pervert," or just screamed. All the sound effects were written in Japanese, to Nyx's dismay.

"I think she forgot we can't understand Japanese." Nyx muttered to EM after he had read them as well. But not a moment after she said that, EM located a glossary of the sound effects and a few miscellaneous explanations on the backs of the papers. Nyx was silent for a few moments before she said with a hint of disbelief, "…we need to find that girl some hobbies. Don't get me wrong, though. They're very good and I love them, but honestly; a _glossary_?"

EM shrugged and went back to his steak, which was now attracting stares. The next letter Nyx opened was one from Schlange. He had little to report besides some problems he was having with the other dragons. They had always disliked him because of his closeness to their master, but also because he was 'half-human' in their eyes. Ever since she had hatched Schlange herself, Nyx had taught him how to read, write – which he was never really good at - and speak English as well as perform a few simple spells. His fellow dragons had been bullying him about how he was acting like a common dog, pining away for his master's return. Schlange said he told them if she got word of their treatment of him, she'd be pretty pissed off, but that only made them taunt him more.

"They said I wasn't fit to be called a dragon if I was going to hide behind a human for protection from my own kind." The dragon wrote. "I tried to defend myself, but I only made things worse. They said if I came back to their caves by myself they'd rip me apart. When you come back, please help me do something about them. I know I'm not weak, but there are so many of them and only one of me, I'm afraid I wouldn't come out of there in one piece. I haven't and won't ask any of the others for help either. The other dragons have no respect for them, and I don't think they would hesitate to hurt them. You control them, so they respect you a lot, but they can still turn on you if something goes bad. If you're with me, I know I'll be safe."

Nyx frowned. _Poor Schlange…_ She felt honored that he placed so much trust in her, but at the same time wondered if his brethren could be partially correct. She decided that she would think about it later, but before the first time she visited home again. Nyx carefully placed the dragon's letter in the same pocket she had placed the other letter before, and then moved to put the lid back on the box. Sakura's owl chirped at her and jumped on her hand. Hyourin Akanbou nibbled at the girl's hand gently and looked back at the box. Nyx took the hint and looked inside again. One last letter lay at the bottom, unnoticed because the color of the envelope was a nearly identical match to the wood. She smiled as she saw Edgar's elegant handwriting. Before she opened it she passed a cracker to Hyourin Akanbou as thanks for pointing out the last letter.

After she read the entire message, Nyx felt extremely disappointed but not surprised. A grave mistake was made in communicating with the vampires as her minions tried to get them on their side; _never_ act superior to a vampire. The one and only D'Maxucoma had screwed that up beautifully, and now the vampires were officially on Voldemort's side. To make matters worse, the man reported to have been an ex-Death Eater turned out to be a liar, and he was going to be promptly executed unless Nyx said otherwise. Edgar hadn't mentioned any new recruits, so she planned to send the small owl back with a quick note ordering the man to be spared, but to make sure he is punished properly to dispel any thoughts of lying again. In a way, this made Nyx quite the hypocrite; she could never stand it when people lied to her, yet she hardly ever told people the truth. She knew this, but convinced herself that she had a special case and it couldn't be helped, so she never thought about it.

Grabbing some parchment and a quill, Nyx scribbled a concise note concerning the execution of the liar, her irritation with Maxu, her wish that Schlange be careful around the other dragons, and that she would write more later. She watched Hyourin Akanbou fly off after a brief rest, and realized that she needed to get to class. Horace was understanding enough, but then again, she _was_ a special case.

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Nyx took a deep breath and sighed enormously as she meandered down the 7th floor corridor. She'd just finished her last class of the day, and her mind felt rather taxed.

_Wish I'd thought to bring my pensieve with me…_she thought, missing it deeply. Nyx really wanted to get that dream out of her head just so she could stop thinking about it. Seeing it all clearly again wouldn't hurt either, especially if it would help her figure it out. But, without the pensieve with her, that nightmare was going to torment her for quite some time unless she did something about it. She thought deeply for a few minutes. Nyx had been kicking that idea around all day, but she wasn't sure if it would be wise to take the risk. It might help quiet her mind, but it could also lead to an early departure from the school if someone saw her.

Nyx's thoughts were interrupted as she neared a door she recognized bitterly. She didn't surprise herself when she glared at it cruelly. Just as she neared it, she saw the door begin to swing open. The girl jumped behind a statue of a gargoyle just in time to see a light blonde head peek out warily - she supposed it was to see if the coast was clear. Draco didn't notice her, and slunk back into the room for a moment. He re-exited in the way he would leave a normal classroom; standing tall, looking the world in the face as if to say "make my day," and walking as if he owned the place. Nyx noted how he reminded her of Maxu on his bad days.

"Oi, Draco!" she called casually, walking out from behind the statue, startling Draco considerably.

"Wh-what're _you_ doing up here?" he stammered, looking fearful.

"Walking." She replied simply. "It's allowed, isn't it?"

"You know that wasn't what I meant!" he snapped. "I meant what were you doing _spying_ on me!"

"Spying? I just told you, I'm walking down a hall. I have no reason to spy on you…yet."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"What were you doing in that room?" Nyx's voice was now serious and a bit commanding, but not cruelly so.

"Since when have my activities been any of _your_ damn business?" Draco replied irritably, and obviously lacking any respect for his fellow student.

Nyx fell silent to stare at him. In a moment, she had Draco by the scruff of the neck and was dragging him back into the room, despite his numerous protests and extensive cursing. Once she was inside, she slammed the door and locked it. Then, using both arms, she grabbed the front of Draco's robes, lifted him almost a foot into the air and slammed him against the wall, pinning him. The boy now looked truly afraid of Nyx, whose eyes had taken on a steely glint.

"Now," she began quietly and deliberately. "You will tell me what you have been doing in this room, why, and who it is for."

Draco gulped before answering in a strangled voice, "F-first, do you know w-what makes this room un-unique?"

"Yes. I do. It's called the Room of Requirement because if you need something very desperately, this room will change to fit your needs. Now answer the questions."

The blonde was shaking now. "I…I-I can't…"

"Why not?"

"…he…h-he…"

"Who?"

"…I…I can't…he'll…"

"…someone threatened to do something to you if you didn't do what they told you to, right?"

"W-well, not just m-me…my…m-my…"

"…your mother, perhaps?"

"…y-yes. He said…he'd…h-he would…"

"Go on, Draco."

"If I…I-if anyone finds out…he'll…"

"Spit it out, boy!"

"_I can't tell you because he'll kill my entire fucking family!_"

"…who will?"

"…I can't…I won't…"

"Draco, let's get one thing straight. I don't care who it is that's threatening you, I _guarantee_ that I can do far worse damage that they ever will."

"……"

"…I'm waiting."

"…Vo…V-vol…"

"…just _say it_."

"…Voldemort."

"That's what I suspected. Now, what is he making you do in here?"

"...c-can I just show you?"

"I suppose, if it'll get me some answers."

Nyx finally let Draco fall to the ground. She stepped out of his way and in front of the door. The boy stood with some difficulty, glancing at her fearfully.

"Follow me." He said weakly as he began to wind his way though the maze of clutter in the massive room. Nyx let her eyes wander around the various trinkets and oddities around her as she walked behind him. She suppressed a laugh when she saw a ludicrously pink pompadour wig with ghastly red ribbons in it. In a few moments, Draco came to a halt in front of a large, old wardrobe. It was a bit battered, but Nyx sensed something impressive about it. "This is what I've been doing in here." He gestured to the wardrobe.

"What about it?" Nyx asked, inspecting it closely.

"There is another wardrobe exactly like this one in Borgin and Burke's shop in Knockturn Alley." He explained slowly. "When you step into one, you come out in the other. Well, when they work, that is."

"So you've been repairing it?" the girl said, opening one of the doors and peering inside curiously. "How?"

"That's the problem. I don't know how to fix it yet, but I've been experimenting for the past few weeks."

Nyx nodded in approval. "Well, good luck with that. But, still, why does the Dark Lord want you to repair an old teleporting wardrobe?"

Draco heaved a sigh. "Before I tell you, I want you to understand something. If anything…_unpleasant_ should happen to me or my family, it's _entirely_ your fault."

"I'm willing to claim responsibility, and take any curse he wants to throw at you for leaking information." Nyx replied seriously, shutting the door with a snap.

The blonde looked at her curiously. "You really shouldn't talk like that, you know. If he hears you showing that kind of disrespect he could –"

"Nonsense!" the girl blurted. "You give me a lot less credit than I deserve, Draco. But I can't really blame you since you think _this_ is who I really am…So, how about this. You tell me what I want to know, and I'll return the favor."

"Um…all right." Draco replied awkwardly. He was indescribably confused now, and still quite shaken up. "What he wants to do with these is make a path for the Death Eaters to get in here unnoticed. Like a sneak attack, I guess."

Nyx nodded. "I understand, but why does he want to infiltrate Hogwarts in the first place?"

"That's my other…assignment." He began uncomfortably. "H-he wants me to kill someone."

"Who? Harry Potter?" the other asked, leaning on an old wooden chest.

"No…it sounds like he wants Potter all to himself."

"Another student, or a teacher maybe?"

"W-well…he _used_ to teach…"

Suddenly, it dawned on her.

"…he wants you to kill _Dumbledore_?"

"…yes."

"Of course, that makes plenty of sense…After all, he can't touch anyone within these walls while Dumbledore's around…that probably links to Potter as well…" She stopped to contemplate a thought. "But why's he making _you_ do it? You're only in your 6th year."

Draco shivered. "I don't know, but that's what I think as well…I wonder why he isn't making Snape do it…"

"Snape's a Death Eater?" Nyx said with faked surprise.

"Yeah. One of the high-ranking ones, too." Draco replied, glaring at an ugly old doll seated on a pile of even older clothes. Almost a minute of silence followed, both lost in their own thoughts. Nyx broke it first.

"Thanks for telling me all that."

"Don't bother. I wouldn't have told you if you hadn't bullied me into it like you did."

"…I'll forget you said that. Anyway, I have to keep my deal with you now. What do you want to know?"

"Nothing. I don't care who you are or what you're dong here."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Just get out, would you? You're making my life miserable enough, poking your nose in where it doesn't belong…"

The girl didn't speak for a few moments. Draco was almost fully turned with his back to her and his arms crossed over his chest moodily. Nyx's voice was quiet but clear.

"I'm known as Lord Psychosis Dragotia and I'm the head of my own army of anti-Voldemorts. I have over 75 dragons and over 250 underlings in my ranks, not counting 17 vampires, 2 werewolves and about 20 dementors. My base is in the Himalayas, and my raven is actually my second-in-command. I came to Hogwarts because I knew Mr. Harry Potter goes here, and since he is Voldemort's main target, I suspected your precious Dark Lord would have some ties here. I found I was right when I learned of all the sons and daughters of convicted Death Eaters in Slytherin. I targeted you because your father was so well-recognized, and my purpose was to gain information on Voldemort's activities, which I now have - thanks to _you_."

Draco spun around to stare at her, wide-eyed, shortly after she had begun.

"…y…you tricked me…" he whispered in horror. "…I'll…I'll be _killed_…b-because of you…"

"Don't worry about your master's wrath. As long as I'm around he won't touch you, or your parents." Nyx said simply.

"W-what the hell makes you so confidant?" the boy spat furiously.

Nyx laughed. "You'll find I'm much more powerful than I seem, Draco." At that, she waved her hand in the air and the ridiculous wig she saw before zoomed over to her. She stopped it in midair and muttered an incantation. The wig burst into pink flames and burned for a little while before the flames started floating down on them as flower petals. With another spell, Nyx made the petals fly into the air and clump together, shuddering a bit. The little orb of pink petals shook violently, and suddenly exploded into a beautiful, pink-feathered bird. It swooped down and landed on Nyx's shoulder, chirping musically. Draco had never seen a creature like that before, nor had he ever heard such an enchanting tune come from a bird.

"…bloody hell…" he breathed.

Nyx chuckled. "You ain't seen nothing yet."

With another wave of her pale hand, the bird dissolved into the air. Nyx replaced it with a long brass pole form the pile of junk, which she raised into the air above her head and slammed against the stone floor, making a painfully loud noise that made Draco clamp his hands over his ears and wince. When he looked again, the pole had transformed into a huge, golden snake. Nyx picked it up by the tail as she whispered another spell, then tossed the creature into the air. The snake hissed noisily as it sprouted a second head and then split down the center into two separate serpents. Before they came crashing down on top of her, Nyx thrust her open hand at the snakes, transforming them back into metal. They hit the ground a moment later with another loud clang. Nyx slung them over her arm and cast a shrinking spell on them until they were only as long as her finger. She then tapped them with her finger and they each bent into a circle, creating two little snake-rings.

"Wear one of these and send the other one to your mum." Nyx said, smiling, as she tossed the rings to Draco. "They'll prevent Voldemort from hurting either of you."

The blonde stared closely at the gold bands. The snakes looked unnervingly real. "…I don't get how a ring is going to stop the Dark Lord…"

"Don't worry. It'll work as long as he sees it before he attacks." The girl reassured him. "Well, I do hate to seem rude, but I have some things I need to take care of before the day is over. So, with that…" Nyx turned on her heel and started making her way back to the door, tripping on a vividly yellow end table and yelping an expletive.

Draco stared after her. He was still a bit confused and alarmed for several reasons, but something about those two little rings gave him comfort. As he heard his classmate shut the door he stowed the rings in his pocket and turned to face the wardrobe with a new resolve to fix it. He hoped he wouldn't need those rings or any other kind of protection, especially from anyone else. He cold take care of himself, after all.

------------------------------------------------------------

Nyx had made up her mind by now. She was going to do it, no matter what the consequences might have been. Most staff and students would be heading to dinner, so it wasn't terribly likely that she would be caught. Plus she had already checked several times to be sure Draco, or anyone else for that matter, wasn't following her.

Finally, she arrived at her destination; a bathroom.

But it wasn't a normal bathroom. She knew all too well why this was the only bathroom in the school that mattered to her, or anyone else in her house for that matter. But she refused to tell anyone about it in full. Horace knew enough as it was, and Severus was satisfied with snippets of information.

Nyx eased the door open almost respectfully, glancing around to be sure she was alone. Once she confirmed this, she scurried in and snapped the door shut behind her. Nyx stopped once this was done to think, and after a moment, decided to use the bathroom for it's conventional purpose first. When she went to wash her hands at the sinks, she was very careful to choose the right one. The moment she shut off the tap, she knelt down on the floor and studied the faucet. A loud, whining voice startled her.

"Who are you?" the sniffly voice demanded.

Nyx turned around and stood up to come face to face with the famous ghost-of-the-girl-who-died-in-the-bathroom, Moaning Myrtle. Myrtle gave a little cry when she saw Nyx and floated back a few paces.

"Why are _you_ here?" the ghost's tone was much more nasty, but still apprehensive.

"It's none of your business." The other replied coolly. "I hope you weren't watching me while I was in there…" She glanced at the stall she had been in moments ago.

Myrtle shrieked with rage and dove at Nyx, who stepped out of the way carelessly. **_"Get out, get out, get OUT!" _**she howled.

"What are you going to do, cry on me?" Nyx taunted without moving or changing her expression.

"_I **hate** you!"_ Myrtle shrieked again, weeping bitterly. _"And I hated **him **too!"_

"Oh, shove off." The girl said coldly. "He has nothing to do with this anyway."

Just as Myrtle was about to start screaming again, the door burst open and a concerned Harry Potter looked in.

_Brilliant._ Nyx thought, grinding her teeth silently.

"Would you knock it _off_, Myrtle?" he said, looking flustered. "I could hear you bellowing all the way down the hall!" He stopped to notice Nyx. "And what are _you_ doing in here?"

Nyx's hand went to her temple. _That's the third time I've heard that in the past **hour**…_ she thought irritably, rubbing her temple to try to quiet her headache. "I could ask you the same thing." She replied in the same icy tone. "If I am not mistaken, the little boy's room is down the hall and to the right."

Harry flushed a bit and stepped into the room completely. "You dodged my question." He said simply.

"This is a bathroom. What do you _think_ I was doing in here?"

Harry flushed even more before he noticed what sink the new girl was standing next to. Myrtle interrupted his thought.

"Hello, Harry." She said affectionately, floating to his side. "I'm so glad you came. _She_ was being _awful_ to me…" She gave a little sniffle and looked at Harry for support. Before he could say anything, he heard Nyx mutter something under her breath. _Did I just hear her…? _

"Er, don't worry about it, Myrtle." He said, keeping his eyes on Nyx. "You're, uh…You're Ariana, right?"

"Yes." She said curtly. After that, Harry saw her lips move just a bit and understood exactly what she was murmuring: "Congratulations, Potter, you get a gold star. Idiot."

"Well, that wasn't very nice." He said with a small grin.

"What are you on about?" she asked, genuinely confused.

"You called me an idiot." He replied simply. "Just a moment ago. I heard you."

"Oh, please. I have better things then you to waste my time on." Nyx said briskly as she began to make for the door. "I don't know what you're talking about anyway."

"_No, I really think you do."_ Harry said quietly.

Nyx came to a screeching halt before whipping around to stare wide-eyed at the Gryffindor.

"…wh-what…?"

"_Don't play dumb. I know you can understand me."_ Harry continued calmly.

Nyx straightened herself up, looking quite irked. _"Apparently someone failed to tell me you were a Parseltongue."_

"_I could say the same to you. Besides, speaking snake language isn't something you should go blabbing about. Some people are better off kept in the dark about these things."_

"_I can't argue there."_ Nyx hissed, smiling bitterly. _"Since we're level on that subject, I think you'll agree with me that it would be best to pretend this conversation never occurred."_

Harry thought for a moment before answering._ "Yeah, I guess so. But that doesn't mean I'll forget that you're a Parseltongue. I might need to remember that someday."_

"_As will I." _She said, bowing her head to him slightly. At that, she turned on her heel and walked away quickly.

Harry stared after her suspiciously._ What a strange girl… _He thought. Myrtle floated into his view looking upset. "What's wrong?" he asked, almost afraid to.

"_What_ were you two _saying_?" She sounded like she was in distress.

"It was nothing important…really." He replied, running his fingers through his hair distractedly.

A minute or so later, after escaping from the ghost, Harry exited the bathroom and started towards the Great Hall for some dinner.

_Ron and Hermione are just gonna **love** this…_

--- to be continued in Chapter 6 : The Egyptian Goldhorn ---

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (_Note: Does not apply toNyx or Evil Minion_.)

**A/N:** The chapter you've all been waiting for...-heh- I hope it was worth it. Hell, I hope they're _all_ worth it. (...though, chances are if you've gotten this far you like it...so...um, yay?) Actually the "POST THE NEXT CHAPTER YOU LAZY ASS" thing was a good inspiration for me. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside to know that there's someone out there who liked this enough to tell me (s)he wants his/her Chapter 5 **right now,** so I wanted to appease them and everyone else who was pissed at me for taking a while with this one.(...the actual message was much politer, though...-cough-)

Woo and yay for sweet-ass bilingual dragons because there's gonna belots of themin the next chapter. ...well, not lots, but they're still cool.

**Hyourin Akanbou: **Japanese for"Moon Baby" (rough translation). There's no real reason for choosing this name other than the fact that I was listening to the song "Moon Baby" by Godsmack (props! woo!), and it's a great song, and it's an owl, and it sounds like something a Japanese fangirl-type would name a pet, so there we are. -bows-

**Final Words:** As usual, thanks to all reviewers! (Especially you, "hiya!"...honestly, who the hell _are_ you? -laughs- Kidding. Oh, and by the way, no, Creepy Portrait Man is NOT Voldy. Getting warm though... -wanders off whistling innocently- )

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

---** k**avi-**s**ama---


	6. Chapter 6: The Egyptian Goldhorn

_NOTE: This chapter used to be over 12,000 words long, but has since been chopped in half and is now chapters 6 and 7. Just in case any original readers (people that read The Beast while it was still intact) were confused. - kavi_

Chapter 6 – The Egyptian Goldhorn

Schlange paced back and forth across the cold marble floor over and over and over again. He snorted every now and then and occasionally stopped to look out one of the massive multi-paned windows, after which he would growl in frustration and resume his pacing. D'maxucoma wandered into the entrance hall and spotted the steely-scaled dragon.

"You gotta be kidding me…" he muttered in disbelief. He jumped nimbly down the curving staircase and approached Schlange casually. "Hey, have you been down here all night?"

"Yes." The dragon snarled.

Maxu decided now would be a grand time to try out that "tactfulness" thing Lord Psycho wrote him about since Schlange seemed to be in a positively foul mood. "Well, she _did_ say she probably wouldn't be here until this afternoon…"

"Yes, and she also said that there was a good chance she could leave before that, right?" Schlange snapped, still pacing restlessly.

"Well…yeah, I guess she did." The American sighed. "Anyway, you want something to eat? Osiris caught a Graphorn, and I'm making breakfast out of it. The recipe's one of my specialties, y'know."

"…I s'pose." The dragon muttered. "I'll be out of here in a minute."

Maxu grinned. "Okay. I'll reserve a seat for you…Better yet, you can have your own table."

Schlange chuckled a little bit, but still didn't seem all that cheered up. He tromped over to the window once again and gazed out sadly. He missed his master terribly.

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"Keep up with me, Evil Minion." Nyx snapped as she weaved through a bustling crowd in the tiny village of Hogsmeade, long black coat billowing behind her. This was the third trip the students had been allowed since the beginning of the year, and the first one Nyx had participated in. That was only because she was still healing from the portrait attack when the first trip came around, so she obviously wasn't allowed to go, and the second had been cancelled for some silly reason. Nyx forgot what it was, but she knew it must have been absurd by her standards.

"I'm _trying_!" the raven snapped back, doing a combination of hopping along the ground and gliding in the air to keep up with his master.

Finally losing her patience with the world after someone kicked her in the shin and another stepped on her toes, she grabbed EM, stuck him on her shoulder and began dashing through the throng of people with unexpected ease. EM wondered where she learned to move so fluidly, and why she didn't move like that when she was about to trip over something. Within seconds, they were clear of the crowd and were surrounded by only a few stragglers.

"Well," Nyx sighed happily. "That was easy enough."

EM opened his beak to ask how she moved like that in such a dense crowd, but stopped abruptly when he saw a familiar face walking around behind his master. _What in hell is **he** doing here?_

Nyx saw her underling's frozen stare and turned around to see what was so interesting.She immediately recognized the dirty-blonde-haired Alex Lazarra as he passed a shop advertising a new kind of broom polish.

"Alex?" she said loudly. He spun around to look at her, apparently surprised someone recognized him. His expression quickly turned friendly and he made his way over to her.

"Wasn't expecting to see _you_ here." He said, falling into step with Nyx.

"I'm going back to school." She said, nodding her head in the direction of the castle.

"What for? You're smart enough as it is." Alex chuckled.

EM hissed a quiet insult from the shoulder farthest away from the other man. Nyx threw him a warning glance before she started explaining why she was at Hogwarts. Alex had left before she discussed her brilliant plan with her minions that summer, most likely to be polite, as usual, so she supposed he ought to be filled in. And why shouldn't he, after all the times he'd proved himself trustworthy? By the time she was quite done, the trio was out of Hogsmeade and near a small field and a corner of the Forbidden Forest. A dilapidated old house surrounded by an equally dilapidated old fence lay on the edge of the field, looking rather forlorn for a building.

Nyx leaned on a sturdier part of the fence and looked around peacefully. It was almost late November and no snow had fallen, so everything was dry and brown and looked dreary and dead. Even the gray, cloudy sky looked depressing. Still, there was an almost poetic beauty to it, and Nyx seemed to appreciate it quite a bit. EM hopped down off her shoulder and perched on one of the pickets near her hand. Alex stood a small distance away, watching the girl with mild interest.

"I have to admit, that's a hell of a good plan." The man said frankly. "I doubt _I_ could've thought of that."

Nyx chuckled. "I'll have to agree with you."

Alex gave her a look before stretching his arms over and behind his head and laughing in spite of himself. Nyx allowed herself to trail off when she thought she saw something underneath Alex's left sleeve. As she walked over to him casually, he leaned on a tree and crossed his arms. EM glided after his master. Apparently, Alex had failed to notice him before this.

"Is that yours?" he asked, nodding to EM, prompting an angry squawk from the raven. But, he held it in for his own sake.

"Yes. His name's George." Nyx replied, lying expertly as she brushed her long hair off of her shoulder so 'George' could land. If she was right, she wanted EM to see it too. "Er, by the way, I think there might be something wrong with your left sleeve."

Alex held his hand up and looked at it in confusion. "What d'you mean by 'wrong'?"

Nyx reached out and let her hand hover over his wrist for a moment before it suddenly convulsed. A dark look crossed her face. "Oh, I see the problem." She said softly.

Like lightening, Nyx grabbed Alex's left hand up against the tree with her right and used the same elbow to pin his neck down. Her left hand was braced against the man's ribs, nearly paralyzing him with the inhumane pressure she was applying to restrain his breathing. His left sleeve flopped down to reveal the Dark Mark burned onto the underside of his arm. Alex looked nothing short of terrified, reminding Nyx of that incident the previous month with Draco.

"So, Alex," she said in a cheery voice. "When were you planning on telling me you were a Death Eater?"

He didn't answer, or at least he didn't make much of an attempt to. Nyx raised her elbow off of his throat a bit so he could start talking, but he remained quiet. The silence was broken by a loud hiss from above. EM had flown off his master's shoulder to perch on a tree branch when he suspected things would get rough. Now he was glaring at Alex and hissing, feathers puffed out menacingly. Nyx noticed that he looked like he was quite ready to dive at him and possibly take an eye out. He only held back because he knew that if, in his rage, he missed and harmed Nyx he'd never forgive himself. Especially if she lost her hold on Alex and he tried to finish her off…

Alex still wouldn't say anything, knowing that there wasn't much he _could_ say in his own defense that wouldn't make things worse. Nyx stared deep into his dark, reddish eyes, searching for an answer. She spoke quietly after a few moments. "Whoever taught you Occlumency did a fine job." She promptly released the Death Eater from the painful position and took a few steps back in case he tried to attack her. She immediately saw that it was unnecessary when Alex slumped to the ground, clutching his throat and stomach and breathing harshly.

"I want you to realize that I'm being _very_ generous when I say that I won't kill you here." Nyx declared coldly, staring down at Alex critically. "But don't assume that I'm going to forget this happened and welcome you back into that citadel as long as that mark stays on your arm. I won't shun you on the street, but don't act surprised if and when I try to kill you during a battle. Understand?"

"Yes…" the man replied hoarsely. He got to his feet with reasonable difficulty and started walking back towards Hogsmeade without another word. He felt sick to his stomach. How could he have let that slip? He'd been so _careful_ in the past years; what went wrong this time? Looking down at his hands grimly, he realized his fatal error; he wasn't wearing his gloves. He _always_ wore those gloves whenever he knew he'd be seeing Nyx or anyone else he didn't want to know he was a Death Eater. They covered the Dark Mark perfectly, so even if his sleeves moved enough no one would be the wiser. But that day he hadn't worn them because he never would've anticipated seeing _her_ of all people…

That brought up another question he had. _How did she know it was there? My sleeve couldn't have moved **that** much…_ he thought, worried beyond belief. This could result in a major disaster for his master's side if she made a move using any knowledge he might've let slip earlier on in their relationship. Even so, without being able to play double agent and learn every move Nyx was making, Alex was in for a hell of a punishment when he told the Dark Lord what had happened. It still didn't answer his original question, though. She must have been able to sense the mark somehow…but who had ever been able to do _that_ before? And why did her hand twitch like that when she held it over the mark?

That woman gives me a headache… Alex thought irritably as he disapparated to a deserted graveyard near and old manor, filled with questions and apprehensions. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

"**_I knew it!_**" EM shouted furiously, blue eyes flashing. "I _knew _there was something wrong with him from the _start_! That's why I hated him and didn't trust him! _And he's a **Death Eater**_!"

Nyx shut the door to the rickety old house quietly and walked over to her fuming minion, in his human form. "Calm down." She ordered rather calmly, not much louder than the creaking of the floorboards beneath her feet.

"_And why did you let him go like that?_" the man continued, not seeming to care that one end of his head wrap was trailing on the ground, collecting years of dust. "_You could've killed him then and there and we'd be **much** better off, I can tell you **that **right now! He knows **exactly** where our base is and he can sneak in at will – hell, he could assassinate you in your sleep and no one would know until it was too late! Plus he knows how many men you have working for you, what they're doing and where, not to mention he now knows about your **brilliant** plan to spy on his master – **because you told him every single bloody detail!**_"

"I understand that you're upset and that you have every reason to be," Nyx said calmly and softly. "But – "

"**_Upset?_**" he cut in, giving her a bewildered look as if to say 'I can't believe you just said that.' "_I think I'm a **little** beyond upset, in case you failed to notice! I **never** get this worked up over **anything** unless it's **really** crossed the line! There's only **one** time I've ever been this pissed off and no, I **don't** care to elaborate on that, **thank you very fucking much**!"_

"…Evil Minion." The girl said quite calmly.

"**_WHAT?_**" he spat, breathing heavily from all the shouting he was doing.

"…do you see me panicking?" she asked, a quiet smile on her lips.

"…No, and I'm a bit alarmed by it to be honest."

"If I am not worried, then you shouldn't be either." Nyx said with maddening placidity. "Alex may know just short of everything about us, but he's too terrified of me to do anything about it."

EM stared at her blankly, finally seeming to have calmed down a bit.

"You needn't worry about a sudden assault on any part of our forces thanks to Mr. Lazarra's knowledge. I suspect Voldemort will be too busy torturing him to ask if he knows anything to help take me down."

"Torturing him? What for?" the other interjected, eyes glinting cruelly. "Why waste time torturing him rather than just kill him and be done with it?"

"Just killing Alex and being done with it wouldn't satisfy him. When a double agent screws up like he just did, he needs a punishment that won't be forgotten, but won't kill him." Nyx said matter-of-factly. "If, after his punishment has been carried out, he can still remember anything that could harm us, I'll be _way_ ahead of him."

"…meaning?"

"As soon as we get there I'm issuing a warning to all units. They all need to know that he is not to be trusted if they should see him." She replied, pulling her coat around her a bit tighter. Although there was no snow on the ground, it was still nippy out.

EM's uncovered face looked apologetic. "Um…I'm sorry for exploding like that before…I didn't realize -"

"Don't worry about it. If I knew we were in serious trouble, I would've had to agree with you." she replied with an unusual smile. "Now, are you ready to leave? I said we'd be there by the afternoon, and it's a bit before lunch now. And I'm sure no one will be able to hear us from in here, by the way."

EM nodded as he replaced his head wrap and flipped his hood up. "Ready."

_Was it my imagination or did she just look…kind?_

A loud crack sounded, and they vanished.

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Sakura went through a near-death experience when Schlange heard his master arrive. She had been walking near the top of the stairs, minding her own business, when the huge beast charged out of a nearby room, bellowing, "She's here! She's here!" He accidentally clipped her with one of his wings, ripping her favorite pink Weird Sisters shirt, as he cleared the winding stairs in a single leap, and she was knocked over the banister before she knew what was going on. She didn't even have time to scream.

Maxu was walking out of a doorway just below the girl when she landed on top of him. It took her a few moments to realize that she hadn't died, and noticed something soft but not terribly squishy underneath her. Looking down, Sakura saw Maxu's back and heard him mumble a few obscenities and protests as he tried to force himself up before she realized he was demanding that she "get your fat ass offa me."

Meanwhile, Schlange had already made it out to the Apparating Platform and was showering Nyx with slobbery kisses, tail wagging furiously and nearly knocking her to the ground. EM was not too sorry to be left out. Once they made it inside the citadel, they found a rather bruised Maxu and enraged Sakura glaring at Schlange. A long yelling session followed, the two teenagers blaming the dragon for nearly killing both of them, and Schlange defending himself by crouching behind an apathetic Nyx rather cowardly. Edgar mercifully ended the row early by floating in through a wall and announcing that lunch was nearly ready and that they should all make their way to the dining hall. Huoh-Long, another of Nyx's dragons and one famed for her expertise in all cooking done with fire, had prepared a lavish lunch that day; roasted Abraxan steak and fried Diricawl wings, plus the rare and delicious Giant's Grapes wine.

"I have bad news." Nyx said grimly through a mouthful of Diricawl wing. "Evil Minion and I ran into Alex Lazarra today before we apparated here. While I was talking to him, I found out something rather unpleasant."

"The dirty bastard's a Death Eater." EM interrupted loudly from the balcony. He always ate a distance away from the others, turned with his back to them at his own small table because he needed to uncover his face to eat.

The formerly calm room exploded; Maxu slammed his fists on the table and started shouting curses and threats of killing Alex should he "happen" to see him on the street. Sakura was quieter, but her voice reflected more pain than anger, and wondered aloud how he could abuse their trust like that, and how blind they had been to fall for it. Edgar was blustering on about how he "knew there was something wrong with that boy from day one" and that he never _really_ trusted him, though he certainly acted like it. Schlange was roaring about how stupid Alex must have been to make Lord Psycho look like a fool when he clearly knew how badly she could hurt him without uttering a word.

"I don't blame any of you for being upset – although you should've heard the mouthful that Evil Minion gave me earlier – but just realize that we are in no danger from his knowledge of our business. Voldemort will be too busy torturing him as punishment for letting the truth slip out to ask about new information. Plus whatever we say about him now won't do any good is he isn't here to hear it for himself, so I suggest everyone just continue their meals and be extra careful from now on." Nyx said calmly, but with a hint of annoyance, picking at her steak distractedly. "I'm going to issue a warning to all units about him. They will be told to capture him if he is seen; don't kill him, but don't hesitate to hurt him. That goes for all of _you_ as well."

They all nodded in agreement with a look of grim determination on their faces.

"By the way, since you mentioned it," Edgar started, floating nearer to the girl at the head of the table. "We received word from Team Four of the Efethute division."

"Efe-whatta?" Maxu blurted confusedly.

"Efethute. The Arctic recovery team I sent to look for something a few years back. Remember?" Nyx replied as if the other was 3 years old. She didn't really expect him to know much about the Efethute division since it wasn't his job to, but she wasn't in a very benevolent mood thanks to Alex. Turning back to her butler she said, "Go on."

"Well, actually, it was Miss Sakura who received the message, so I shall let her explain." The ghost said, glancing at the teenager. "She heard all the facts directly, so she should know the most about it."

Sakura nodded, pink-and-blue pigtails bouncing almost comically. Her purple eyes glowed with importance as she began relaying the story to her master.

"I received the message two days ago from the Captain, saying he might have a lead, or at least a problem. Firstly, he requested more supplies – namely, food and ice viper repellent – and probably a few more soldiers. Those are to replace the ones that died a little less than a week ago."

"_Died_?" Nyx yelped in surprise. "From _what_? There aren't any dangers up there a competent witch or wizard can't handle, much less _die_ from!"

"Well," the girl replied slowly. "This is a special case. When five or six of the men were scouting out an area of the ice, everything suddenly got dark. The witnesses all said there was no explanation for it; it was midday and there weren't any clouds at all. Anyway, the ice started to crack underneath their feet and a bright, greenish light shone through. They said it was really weird because the light wasn't illuminating the ice itself, and it looked unnatural to begin with. All the men on the ice were suddenly mesmerized by the light, even though everyone was yelling at them to stop staring at it and get off the cracks. But nobody dared go out to get any of them until they were sure it was safe, so they just stood there for a few minutes. I personally think that was rather stupid of them, but its off-topic.

"Without warning, the light vanished for a second and reappeared bright green for only a moment. When the men were hit with the light the second time, they all floated off the ground for a moment, screamed like they were in absolute agony, and then when it disappeared again they dropped back onto the ice, dead. The ice sealed back up perfectly, except for a long, curving crack that connected all the spots where the men were originally standing. They sent a picture of it after it was all over, and the names of the men so we could contact their families. I did so right after I got the message."

Sakura stood as she removed a small photograph from the back pocket of her lime-green lounge pants and walked over to her master, sickeningly adorable bunny slippers squeaking. The moment Nyx saw the crack in the ice her face was wiped blank. She stared at the photo with her cold, greenish eyes for a long while before she spoke softly.

"…yes, this is it. It's there. I'm sure of it. Those men didn't die in vain." she said, excitement creeping into her voice with every spoken word. "Only the presence of an _immense_ magical power could do all that…"

"Then that leaves only two problems." Edgar added with a frown. "The men there now refuse to go anywhere near the place. And before those men died, they were able to gauge the depth of the ice before there were any changes in density and such, and it was at least 1.75 miles."

"No matter. I'll send a special unit in to do it." The girl replied, tucking the photo into her robes. "Do me a favor and send my orders to the whole division right away. I want them all to stop whatever they're doing and get to work securing that area, and all the areas in the immediate vicinity of it. If they can detect any specific abnormalities, I want a full report as soon as humanly possible. Then, get all the soldiers matching the criteria for this kind of job here by tomorrow night so I can assemble a team. I want them up there before next week's over. I know it's not going to be fast getting this job done, so I want to get them ready as quickly as possible."

Edgar and Sakura bowed respectfully before drifting off – Sakura with the remainder of her food – to do her bidding.

"What was it you're looking for again?" EM asked as he joined Nyx and Maxu at the table, with Schlange watching a few feet away. "Some kind of relic or something…?"

Nyx chuckled. "Well, it's extremely old if that's what you mean. Its magical power is nearly as great as my own, and I say that as humbly as possible. If we get it before Voldemort or anyone else does, we will have a _major_ advantage from here on out."

"I get that, but…" Maxu said, propping his elbows up on the table to rest his head on his palms. "…what exactly _is_ it?"

"If I told you you'd be sorry." His master said in an almost playful voice. "And by that I mean it would ruin the surprise."

"Have we ever heard of it before?" EM asked once again.

"Oh, certainly. Several times, at least, I should think." Nyx said after taking a swig of her wine. As she saw the American's mouth open again, she added quickly, "But no more questions about it now. I have some business to take care of with my dragons." She glanced at Schlange, who grinned back at her happily.

In a few minutes, Maxu and EM were alone with the dirty dishes, each silently contemplating what it could be that their master was looking for.

"Well, what do _you_ think it is?" the teenager asked the other rather suddenly.

EM was slow to respond. "Some kind of weapon, if I had to guess. You know how she loves those."

Maxu laughed. "I like it when she lets me actually _use_ them. But I have to disagree with you on it being a weapon. I think it's an egg or something like an egg that'll hatch into an ancient, super-powerful, thought-to-be-extinct monster that only she or You-Know-Who can control for whatever reason, that can wreak havoc on anyone who dares to stand in her way…probably breathes fire or lays golden eggs or something too…"

The older man stared at him blankly. "Has anyone ever told you what an overactive imagination you have?"

"Oh, come on, you know it's a possibility!" he shot back with a grin.

"But how likely is it that there's some kind of ancient, super-powerful, whatever-else-you-said monster underneath that much ice, that only she can control?" EM said as he rose from his seat and dismissing the dishes with a wave of his concealed wand. "Not very, I should say."

"But it's still possible, however unlikely it may be." Maxu the Optimist replied. "After all, Lord Psycho could have a few secret abilities she hasn't bothered to tell us about, right? Y'know, for one of her weird reasons."

"True…" EM mused with a distant look in his eye. "…but still unlikely. And I don't mean the 'hidden powers' thing either. As far as _that_ goes…All I have to say is that Lord Psycho is a mystery. She's always been a mystery, and she'll probably stay that way until the Second Coming. It's obvious that there's a lot she doesn't want to tell us, and she's told me more than any of you – not to brag of course, but it's the truth – and I still can't figure her out sometimes. That, and how odd it is that she doesn't seem to have much of a past, and whatever she's revealed is pretty vague and sometimes downright shady. I personally think she had a lousy early life and everything's just gone further and further downhill from there, until recently. I also think she isn't telling anyone about it because it's extremely painful for her, and it's not something anyone would want to have to listen to." He paused to sigh heavily. "Then again I could be completely wrong and she just wants to stay mysterious as usual. Who knows…"

Maxu shook his head sadly as he followed his superior out of the room. "You're so bitter sometimes, Jack."

EM ground to a halt, spun around and grabbed Maxu roughly by the collar.

"What have I told you about that?" he said in a dangerous voice.

"N-not to call you by it." The other said nervously. He had only discovered EM's real name by accident, and soon learned how much he disliked being called by it. Like Nyx, he still called him "Jack" every now and then when he was trying to make a point, or get his attention. It _always_ worked.

"Precisely. So _don't_ do it again." EM growled. "I'm feeling generous today, so consider yourself lucky."

He released his grip as un-gently as possible and started stalking away.

Maxu spoke up before he was out of earshot. "You didn't ask what I meant by bitter, so I'll just tell you." He waited for EM to slowly stop walking, but he seemed to refuse to turn around and look at him. "I may not be able to look into people's dreams like a Ragshiel, and I'll admit I'm a lousy Legilimens, but I don't need either of those to tell how much you like her."

"'Like her'…how?" EM said quietly after an uncomfortable pause.

"It was just a deep mutual respect and close friendship from the beginning, but _you_ took it _way_ further than she did, as far as I can tell, and I'd bet money on your being in love with her. And I don't mean that by your taking a killing curse for her just because it's pretty much your job to, but because that's what people do for the ones they love." Maxu said, with the expression of a child who was running around singing at the top of his voice 'Evil Minion likes Lord Psycho! Evil Minion likes Lord Psycho!' "And I said you're bitter sometimes when you talk about her because you're heartbroken that she doesn't love you back. Plus she's so damn hard to figure out, as you just proved, you're probably sad that you can't play therapist and say 'I know how you feel' and give her pity hugs and whatnot to make her happy and possibly make her like you more."

EM was completely silent, almost as if he hadn't been listening.

"…I bulls-eyed it, didn't I?" Maxu said gleefully. "_Damn_, I'm good!"

To his surprise, the black figure a distance away started laughing. Maxu wasn't able to tell whether it was an "I'm in denial" laugh or an "oh my god, he's _right_" laugh, or maybe even the famous "what a dumbass" laugh.

"Normally I hate having to repeat myself, but there's no helping it this time." EM said as his laughter subsided. "You have an _extremely_ overactive imagination."

As he began walking further down the hall, still laughing to himself, Maxu stared past him rather stupidly. Once EM's response fully hit home, he looked like Christmas had just been cancelled. He frowned deeply, making a large crease between his eyebrows as he thought of a way to get back at him for making him look like an idiot. Running a tanned hand through his bleached-and-spiked hair, Maxu's face slowly broke into an overjoyed grin as inspiration struck him. Running through an arched stone doorway and down a long hall with one wall completely made up of exquisite stained-glass windows, the young man laughed excitedly as he began his search for that crabby old butler.

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Nyx cautiously approached the yawning cave mouth that led to the largest dragon "settlement" on her property. Schlange tagged along behind, glancing around in paranoia. An almost runtish dragon sat on a boulder at the entrance, dozing off in the cool wintery sun. His mossy green and earthy brown scales allowed him to camouflage himself in the warmer months, earning him a reputation as an experienced Muggle and Game Hunter, a position well respected amongst the dragons.

Nyx walked right up to the snoozing saurian and tapped it on the snout. "Buenos dias, Colmillo." She said dryly.

Colmillo the Peruvian Vipertooth woke with a start and a loud snort. His somewhat short head lolled around dazedly before he looked up at his master. He immediately perked up and replied cheerily in his low but not particularly deep voice, "Buenos dias, Maestro¿Como pueda ayudo tu? (Good morning, Master! How may I help you?)"

"Necesito ver Osiris. Permite mi adentro, por favor. (I need to see Osiris. Let me in, please.)" she said in perfect Spanish. Colmillo understood _some_ English, but he often misinterpreted things, so Nyx took a quick lesson from another Spanish-speaking dragon of hers to make things less complicated.

"Si, senorita. (Yes, ma'am.)" the dragon replied with a nod.

"Gracias. (Thanks.)" Nyx said with a smile as she passed into the cave. She nearly had to drag Schlange in because he was acting so paranoid about being ripped to shreds by the others when they saw him.

After several minutes of navigating the caverns, a warm golden light could be seen from one passage that seemed to be radiating heat. As soon as they turned a corner, they saw the entrance to Osiris' dominion under the mountain: a massive Egyptian palace, faithfully reproduced with reference to the ancient ruins, down to the last Anubis statue. Two gold-plated Sphinxes sat at the entrance like guardians for the huge hallway leading in. Nyx entered fearlessly, Schlange following cautiously, hard claws clicking on the marble floors. Light from flaming torches danced on the exquisite walls covered in gold and precious gems. Pictures and hieroglyphics were carved into the walls, most of it remaining a mystery to almost everyone because they couldn't read ancient Egyptian.

After turning a corner and passing a lioness statue, the hall opened into an enormous, grand chamber with it's ceiling seemingly a mile away; the "Pyramid Room." A long pathway led up to a rather large pyramid, on which rested the entrance to Osiris' "royal chambers," closed off by two heavy gilt doors with a warning against unwelcome visitors carved across the front in several languages. A hundred or so steps led up the front of the shining pyramid, and a small platform sat on ground level to it's right. The platform jutted out over a small artificial lake filled with plants and fish of all kinds, fed by an elegant waterfall. It was truly a magnificent place, and no short of fitting for the famous, or possibly _in_famous, Osiris.

Nyx walked down the smooth path towards the platform, past the 20-something dragons sitting on either side of it like guards. As she passed them they each bowed their heads low so that their chins touched the floor. This was a sign of highest respect from a dragon of any sort, and was rarely seen under normal circumstances. Each creature in the first row was a direct offspring of Osiris, and those in the second row were their mates, and their own young in the third. Nyx was glad that they showed her respect like that; it had certainly taken her long enough to earn it. Her patience was tried when she heard them hissing and snarling at Schlange after they thought she was out of earshot. They stopped abruptly when she spun around to glare at them, much to the ram-horned dragon's embarrassment.

The master's focus was on the two shapes behind the white linen curtains on the platform. The delicate curtains hung from an exotically decorated 'gazebo' shaped like a square with four support columns and no roof. Beneath it sat the proud Osiris and his mate, Isis.

The pair was the last of an almost extinct breed of dragons, the Egyptian Goldhorn, so named because of their solid gold horns and their origination in ancient Egypt. They looked like living statues; their smooth, glossy black scales, glinting golden horns and clever turquoise eyes gave them a strikingly beautiful appearance. They had nearly died off because of their amazing golden horns that grew with age caught the attention of greedy wizards and Muggles alike. The ones that were able to escape often forced their way into pyramids or dug deep underground to hide for as long as it took. Both Osiris' and Isis' parents were third-generation descendants of the dragons that had to flee, each of them being in their mid-300s.

The Goldhorns were also well known for their attraction to wealth and luxury, and so many became "pets" of the pharaohs, simply because they would never have to worry about food or comfort while in the grand palaces. The Muggles had messed up when discovering all the ancient ruins in the deserts and confused them with painted and sculpted dogs and bulls or gazelles because of their jackal-like faces and lean, muscular bodies as well as their long horns. When those horns grew, they grew from the dragons' temples, up and slightly out to the sides, and then curved back inwards. They were smooth and hard, and known as an ingredient in the only potion ever made that was known to have cured a werewolf – lost many, _many_ years ago when the man who discovered it was eaten by a carnivorous plant – though it was only made after _many_ dragons had died sacrificing their horns for the potions experimental predecessors. Once one of the horns was removed from the living dragon's head, the poor beast would bleed excessively from the spot where the horn used to be until it bled to death. The more caring hunters killed the dragon before taking the horns to save it from suffering.

Nyx was fortunate to have found Osiris and Isis in the mountains shortly before she began building her citadel there. They conveyed that they had traveled all the way from the African jungle so that they wouldn't be caught, and they asked her to forget that she saw them and to leave them in peace. Osiris added that they were both very powerful and could likely kill her in an instant if she didn't do as they asked, which made Nyx laugh audibly. This intrigued the two dragons, so they agreed when Nyx offered them a place in her ranks as well as protection and secrecy in return for their loyalty and trust. Osiris quickly became known for his bad temper and massive ego, though it was somewhat understandable as he was the one and only Alpha male dragon, as well as Alpha male of the Goldhorns, plus his lack of trust in anyone but his mate and his master. In fact, Nyx was the only being Osiris would carry on his back under his own free will. Nyx often found his lazy, selfish attitude more than infuriating, and Osiris could never stop thinking that Nyx was a bumbling idiot compared to a wise creature like himself. He often reminded her of Maxu, and wondered why the two didn't get along. But then she remembered how much Osiris hated humans and how much Maxu hated going into those caves because of a mild case of claustrophobia.

The two dragons stepped out from under the structure and bowed respectfully, chins again touching the floor.

"Osiris." Nyx said in greeting as she inclined her head a bit. She didn't honestly feel the need to bow to him, but she knew he got very cross if she acted _too_ superior to him. "This is quite the gathering."

"I heard you were coming." The dragon replied in a clear, strong voice. "But to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I have an issue to take up with you." the girl said more seriously. Schlange shifted uncomfortably behind her, claws scraping quietly.

"Concerning…?" the dragon asked, hopping down the tall, single step, whip-like tail held high.

"Your treatment of Schlange." Nyx answered simply.

Osiris stopped near the bottom and glared at the other dragon pitilessly. "What about it?"

"I'm not pleased by it. And I'm even less pleased that you're rallying the other dragons to shun him like you've done for years."

"What reason is there not to?"

"I'll give you one good one; _me_."

"…that is no excuse for a noble dragon to act like a _dog_."

"You say he acts like a dog, I say he's the most loyal one out of all of you."

"Loyalty is one thing, but a dog-like desperate need for attention and affection from one's master is quite another. You only defend him because you favor him. He's almost as high-ranking as that human that wears the black all the time, and the rest of us are just pawns to you. He follows you around like a hungry mutt at mealtime, praying for a table scrap, and you give him a banquet!"

"Maybe he wouldn't be so close to me if you would allow him in here with his own kind and not order the others to turn him away."

Osiris snorted angrily. "They have every reason to! That pathetic beast of burden is nothing more than a cowardly house pet, and not fit to be called a dragon!"

Schlange snapped.

In a flash, the two dragons had sprang at each other's throats, the ram-horned spitting tongues of yellow flame and the golden-horned poised to skewer the first with those deadly spears. Nyx's arms shot out from her sides, each pointing at a dragon, holding them in mid-air effortlessly. She stared at them coldly for a long while before letting them drop to the sand. Both beasts took the not-so-subtle hint and backed off from each other.

"I can see this won't go very well if I try to keep _this_ discussion up." Nyx said calmly. "So, I have one request of you, Osiris, and we can forget this ever happened."

"…yes, Master…" he said grudgingly.

"You will apologize to Schlange here and now in my full view, with Isis and your descendants and their families as witnesses. And I don't mean a simple spoken 'I'm sorry.' I mean a _real_ apology, on dragon terms."

The Egyptian dragon at first looked like he would rather chew off his own tail, but soon realized from the look Nyx was giving him that he didn't really have a choice. To him, this was one of the worst insults she could possibly give, but he knew arguing with her wouldn't help his position. Schlange gave his master a significant look before stepping into position for the ancient ritual about to take place.

The two dragons stood facing each other, standing straight and dignified with their necks curving just so. They raised their tails in a kind of salute, then moved their heads forward, each slightly to the right, until their snouts were touching side by side. They slowly dropped their joined heads until their chins touched the hard marble before bringing them back up no more quickly than before. They repeated this painstaking gesture after switching sides with their snouts. Then, they each took a single step back and kneeled on one foreleg, bowing their heads with closed eyes until their chins once again met the ground. To finish it, each dragon went back to the original standing position, saluted the other with a quickly raised tail, turned completely around, and walked away slowly to signal the end of the ritual.

Nyx smiled warmly. "Thank you, Osiris. I understand why you feel insulted for being forced to perform that rite with Schlange, but I'm afraid there's nothing more I can say than 'I appreciate your cooperation.'"

The grand black dragon muttered a reply as he made his way back towards Isis, who was waving her tail just above the ground serenely. Schlange and his master left without another word. The dragons now carried his head and tail high and looked down on all the other saurians he passed that uttered even a faint hiss of disapproval.

Once they were out of earshot of any other dragons, Schlange leapt for joy and started showering Nyx with thanks and more slobbery kisses. Nyx only got him to stop when she reminded him that his behaving like that would only make things worse if they happened upon another of his brethren, which they did only moments later. But they both knew that Huoh-Long was one of the most benevolent dragons in existence, if not that then at least in Nyx's Dragon Army, and she never looked down upon any creature unless she had solid proof that they were truly a blackened soul that was beyond any hope of redemption.

She was floating like a flowing river through one of the larger "hallways" when the other two nearly collided with her. Huoh-Long dodged them with a quick twisting motion and landed gently on the rocky ground a short distance away. As soon as Nyx saw her, she bowed deeply before the dragon repeated the chin-to-floor bow in return. The girl respected Huoh-Long more than almost all of the other dragons because she was much wiser and more powerful than any of them, most likely due to the fact that she had been alive for just under a millennium. She was a Chinese Fireball with fiery red scales, wise golden-yellow eyes, long silver claws, strong gold stomach plates and a row of sharp golden spikes along her spine. She was a sight to behold just for her size; she was almost 75 feet in length, although her frame was rather delicate for a dragon. Nyx said she had met Huoh-Long a very long time ago, but she never said where or why the magnificent dragon decided to join her. No one could ash Huoh-Long herself because, although she could understand nearly any language perfectly, her vocal cords limited her to Chinese and conventional dragon communication.

"Lunch was fantastic, by the way." Nyx said, grinning.

"Shi shie. Thank you. " Huoh-Long replied in a voice that reminded Nyx of delicate glass wind chimes.

"You're quite welcome." The other replied, simply assuming she had thanked her because _she_ certainly didn't understand Chinese. The serpentine creature then excused herself because she was ready to take a nap, conveyed to Nyx by Schlange, and they let her pass with a polite farewell.

"I like her." Schlange commented on the way back to the citadel. "She never treated me badly before. She's always so peaceful and calm and nice…"

Nyx laughed. "Sounds like you fancy her."

"Not really." The steely-scaled dragon replied calmly. "I'm not saying she'd be a bad mate, but I'm not head-over-claws for her. Besides, I think she would prefer to be unattached to any one dragon when she loves caring for _everyone_ so much."

"I agree. Tsiok said she was like a mother to him." His master said, a distant look in her cool eyes.

"He's that orphan you found, isn't he?" Schlange asked. "I think it was only three years ago or so, right?"

"Poor thing was all alone, only a few months old, half-starved…" Nyx said sadly. "Good thing I found him when I did. One more day on his own and he might not have made it."

"It's weird how similar humans and dragons can be." The large beast observed.

"Like how, specifically?"

"People abandon their children to die or give them away to strangers. Dragons can do the same; Tsiok and Ressa are perfect examples. It's sad how little the parents seem to care, being able to throw your own flesh and blood away like that."

Nyx stared up at the bleak, grayed sky. They were back at the entrance to the caves. An icy wind suddenly blew in, howling with fury in the caverns behind them.

"…yeah…it _is_ sad what people can do to the ones they should love…"

--- to be continued in Chapter 7 : A Night in a Graveyard ---

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (With the exception of Nyx, Evil Minion, Sakura, Schlange, Edgar, Maxu, and all the other dragons - plus anyone I may have missed.)

**A/N:** Number of words that used to bein this chapter: _12,396_

Times Kavi is gonna write a 12,396-word chapter again in her life:_ 0._

How Kavi feltafter finishing this chapter the first time around: _Deceased._

(from original) ...I sincerely hope you enjoyed this installment of "That One Harry Potter Fic With The Crazy Lady" because my brain hurts.By the way, I kept it all in one 12,000+ word chapter because I wrote at the end of Chapter 5 that it would be called "A Night In A Graveyard" and if I were to chop it up the part about the graveyard would be in Chapter 7, and the title would make no sense for Chapter 6 which would be about dragons and such. SO...there you are.

(from now) ...but that has all been rectified, so no worries. If anyone wants to se what it's like to write a 12,000-plus word chapter, copy and paste this chapter and the next chapter on to a Word document or something. ...Yeeaaah. Now you see why I split it up.

**General Notes:** Nyx/Lord Psycho isn't gonna stay this cranky and depressing all the time. She's just been having bad days. _Veeeery _bad days. Also, EM isn't gonna keep getting the short end of the stick for the rest of the fic either. In fact, he gets a nice break in Chapter 9, which is also where I will finally write a description of him without all ofhis identity-concealing crap on, AND you get to heara bit about his past too. Yay! And Nyx is gonna stop yelling at him so much, too. ...also, both of them seem to like grabbing people and lifting them off the ground or shoving them into walls and trees and stuff. Not sure where that came from, but it wasn't planned, I assure you. -shrug- I dunno. I'm just the author. I already forgot what happened in chapters 2 to 4, so what's _that _tell you? -nervous laugh-

For the record, in case anyone's still confused about this, a Ragshiel is a person who can watch people's dreams/visions while they're alseep or unconcious, and who can physically interact with ghosts and make connections with the dead. (That includes hearing and speaking to non-ghostified dead people.) More on this later.

All the Spanish dialogue between Nyx and Colmillo should be accurate because someone already corrected part of it for me. (I know "senorita" isn't technically "ma'am" but since "senora" is like "Mrs." and Nyx is **_definitely_** not a Mrs. it doesn't work.) And the Chinese is as right as right gets because I asked a girl who is from Taiwan and speaks Chinese as a first language, so don't argue with me and say it's wrong. I just typed it in as how it sounds phoenetically because my computer doesn't support Chinese characters, and I doubt this site does either. So there you are.

**Final Words: **The next chapter has a battle scene. Woo-hoo. Go read it. And then review it, damn you. -glare-

...just kidding. -gives you that free toaster-

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**---** **k**avi-**s**ama **---**


	7. Chapter 7: A Night In A Graveyard

Chapter 7 – A Night in a Graveyard

"What did she say she wanted to talk to us about again?" Sakura asked Maxu as they wandered side-by-side in the direction of the dining hall around dinnertime. The young man was removing a few stains from his clothes because he had just finished preparing the meal they were making their way to.

"Something about tonight, I don't remember." He replied somewhat snappily. His brilliant plan for revenge against EM didn't seem so infallible any longer, just because he'd been thinking about it all day after his conversation with Edgar earlier. The ghost of the butler had basically told him to stop being a brat and get over it, but Maxu was determined and wouldn't be discouraged by an old fart like him.

After taking their seats and waiting for quite some time, Nyx and EM finally joined the younger members of the group at the long, black marble table. EM was wearing the usual, but they noticed immediately that their master looked as if she were prepared for a formal dinner. She wore elegant black gloves to accent her long, flowing burgundy robes and black velvet cloak, which she politely removed before she seated herself. After she did so, they all noticed an unusual necklace hanging from her neck; an oval-shaped ruby set in gold hanging from a golden chain wrapped three times around her neck to be at the proper length. When she lifted her hand to brush an annoying strand of hair out of her eyes, they saw that she was wearing a ring as well. It looked very old, but still very beautiful; it was silver with a rather large 6-pointed-star-shaped diamond in it's center, accented by an emerald leaf on each side and a light inscription around the band, which none could read because it seemed a bit worn down. This was extremely odd because Nyx was almost notorious for disliking jewelry, except for on special occasions.

"Before we start our meal, I'll get straight to the point of my announcement." She said in a very business-like manner. Somehow, her voice sounded anxious. "I'm going to be leaving tonight at 8 o'clock – that's right, half an hour – to take care of some…business. I will be going alone, so none of you need worry about adjusting your schedules. This is one of those meetings that won't be very comfortable for anyone but me, so I'll save you all the trouble."

"Where's this meeting at? And who're you meeting with?" Maxu asked, innocently curious.

"It doesn't matter right now. When you need to know, I'll tell you." she replied a bit snappily.

"Well, we should at least know where you'll be in case we need to contact y- " EM began, standing beside her since the food hadn't arrived yet, before his master cut him off quickly.

"You won't. As I said, it's no concern of yours at this time, so don't let it trouble you."

Her underlings exchanged curious, worried glances. What on _earth_ could she be up to that she would refuse to tell them about? They all silently decided not to press the matter since it seemed to irritate her when they did, and instead concentrated on the delicious food being brought in.

30 minutes later, Nyx bid her minions good-bye and warned them that she might not be back until the next morning, winning her more weird looks from the others. Even EM wasn't sure what was going on. She hadn't mentioned any meetings until dinner when she told everyone else, which was quite strange since he was typically the first to know about such things. And why did she refuse to tell them where she would be? The three were left in mystery as they watched her disappear to who knows where. Each left to take care of their own business without discussing their master's odd behavior. Everything was peaceful for the next three hours and 55 minutes.

At 11:55, almost exactly on the tick, EM heard the loud crack that came with apparating. He wouldn't have admitted it to anyone, but he found he couldn't sleep with her being gone under the circumstances. The others were, apparently, not as worried about her, so he was the only one to make his way towards the Apparating Platform after he heard the noise. He was still suspicious of Nyx's plans, and was mildly surprised that she was back so early. He ultimately decided that he wouldn't press the matter that night unless she was the one to bring it up. But when he glanced out a window near the steps leading down to the platform, he felt a surge of white-hot hatred reach the surface of his being; Nyx was nowhere to be seen, and instead Alex Lazarra was striding up the steps.

In a moment EM's wand was out and pointed straight at Alex, who was nearing the top of the steps. He supposed Alex hadn't seen him yet, so he quickly ducked down beneath the window, wand now poised to curse him as soon as he walked inside. And just as he hoped, this plan worked perfectly; the moment he saw him, EM cast the Levicorpus spell on the Death Eater, who clearly hadn't been expecting to be hoisted up by the ankle so suddenly. He soon realized who cursed him when EM walked over and stood in front of him, glaring at him menacingly.

"You've got some nerve coming here after what happened this morning." He said icily.

Alex sighed somewhat pathetically. "Look, I didn't come here to cause trouble. I didn't even bring my wand! Trust me!"

"Right. Trust _you_." The black-clad man said, his voice dripping with venom. "I suppose I ought to go slam my head in a door a few times while I'm at it._ Honestly_." He flicked his wand and said, "_Accio Alex Lazarra's wand_." Nothing happened.

The upside-down Death Eater started chuckling. "I suppose you're going to go start working on your head with that door, then?"

"Quiet or I'll slit your throat." EM growled. He mentally admitted that he'd been telling the truth, but he also decided Alex didn't need to hear that from him.

"But aren't you curious about why I'm here?" the reddish-brown eyed man asked. He sounded hurt as if EM had refused to try the cookies he baked just for him.

EM stared at him for a long while, at least pretending that he was searching the other's mind to throw him off. "…go on."

"I'm here to tell you where your precious Lord Psycho's off to, if you're so inclined to find out."

"I am. Keep talking."

"She's currently waiting in a graveyard next to an old manor in Little Hangleton. She's been hanging around there for the past several hours."

EM stared at him skeptically.

Alex sighed heavily. "Fine. I'll _show_ you." The Death Eater waved his arm in a wide circle in the air next to him and mumbled a spell easily recognized by EM. Within moments, a fuzzy image was visible, floating in the air where Alex had waved his arm. It showed the very graveyard that he had spoken of before, with the ancient manor a short distance away. EM immediately saw a dark figure pacing back and forth between two headstones, almost irritably. The figure stopped to check its watch before obviously cursing loudly, even though he couldn't hear anything.

"What did I tell you?" Alex said simply. "Now that you've seen it, you should have no problem apparating there with all due speed, I hope. You'll want to get to her as soon as possible."

"Why do you 'hope' I'll be able to get to her as soon as possible?" EM asked, worry clouding his blue eyes.

"Because as soon as she walked into that graveyard, she walked straight into a trap."

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Nyx paced back and forth restlessly. She knew that when she left at 8 she would have a very long wait ahead of her, but she also knew that she would need it. She recalled being told that she was to arrive early, though exactly _how_ early wasn't specified. Besides, she needed time to think as well. She glanced at the old pocket watch again, seemingly for the thousandth time. Only a few minutes left before it started.

Nyx sat down on a low, rectangular gravestone and looked up at the stone manor dismally. She watched a certain second-story window for any sign of life, hoping a light would go on and she could get this over with. The night was calm and quiet, and nothing could be heard except an occasional whisper of wind moving through the trees. Standing up and restarting her pacing she rehearsed her lines in her head carefully. She would have only one shot at doing this right, and if she screwed it up…She quickly pushed the thought from her mind and told herself it was a worst-case scenario and very unlikely to happen. There was no reason for her to think that anything would go wrong that night. She was especially glad that she had avoided telling her underlings where she would be that night; the last thing she needed was for them to find out what she was doing before the time was right. They'd find out eventually, but she needed to make them wait for quite a while longer.

Nyx glanced at the watch again. _Two minutes…_

A soft pop could be heard a good distance away, and EM and the magically bound-and-gagged Alex appeared between the trees. Guiding him with his wand, EM floated Alex around behind him as he made his way towards the graveyard as quickly as possible. He hoped he wasn't going to be too late to tell his master what was going on. Soon, he found himself at the edge of the cemetery, and had to duck behind a large bush quickly when his master looked in his direction. He de-immobilized Alex after sitting him against a nearby tree and told him if he tried anything stupid he'd let Osiris finish what he tried to do back in April. Alex took the hint and stayed quite still.

EM crept back over to the bush and peered through a space in the branches at his master, who had returned to her pacing back and forth between graves. She looked at the watch again, this time reacting excitedly as it was only a few seconds to. She glanced up at the second-floor window again and, to her delight, saw a soft light appear. She saw a dark shape move in front of the light and look out the window towards the graveyard. The dark, hooded figure seemed to be looking for something in her general area; she guessed they were looking to see if she was there, and when they confirmed that she indeed was, the person gestured for someone to come and take a look for themselves. Another figure moved in front of the light, distinctly different form the first. The original shape had moved somewhat spasmodically and was rather short. The second person was very tall with deliberate, controlled motions. The taller figure gave the other an order, sending them scurrying away out of the light. The man – or at least Nyx supposed it was – remained at the window for several more seconds, watching her, unmoving, before walking out of sight.

Suddenly, a dark cloud of dust and smoke burst in front of Nyx and a dark-cloaked figure stepped out from its midst. The hood failed to hide the woman's drawn, skull-like face, and nothing could've hidden her sharp, slightly crazed voice when she spoke.

"State your name." She commanded.

"Lord Psychosis Dragotia." Nyx replied calmly, leaning on a large headstone.

"And what is your business here, Lord Psychosis Dragotia?"

After taking a deep breath, Nyx recited in a steady voice, "To repair that which was broken one and fifty years past."

EM was still crouched behind the shrub, watching his master and the hooded person carefully. He knew they were talking but he couldn't hear a word they were saying, to his great frustration. He knew this was the closest he could move for now; he had been too late to get to her before midnight, and he only hoped he wouldn't live to regret it. He was violently yanked out of his thoughts when he saw the hooded figure whip out a wand and point it straight at Nyx's face.

As he faintly saw the person's mouth move as if they were reciting an incantation, he heard an oddly familiar voice whisper in his ear, "_This is the part where you play hero and save her…_"

As if it were a reflex, EM immediately stood up and shouted, "_Expelliarmus!_" as he pointed his wand at the dark figure in front of his master.

The woman screeched in shock when the spell hit her wand and sent it flying. Her and Nyx's heads whipped around to the source of the spell to see EM standing in plain sight, defiantly holding his wand level with the woman's head. With a shriek of rage, the woman dove after her wand and screamed, "**_Now!_**"

Without warning, nine more clouds of smoke exploded in a half-circle between Nyx and EM, producing nine more angry Death Eaters.

_Oh shit._ The master and servant thought simultaneously.

The Death Eaters immediately turned on EM and fired a variety of hexes, all which he blocked easily with a shield charm as he ran between headstones towards his master. If he could get to her, they could disapparate in an instant.

Meanwhile, Nyx was absolutely dumbfounded. _How the hell did **he** get here?_

Her thoughts were broken when a huge hooded figure began charging at her, sparks flying from his wand, yelling, "You _traitor_!" She sidestepped the curse he fired and flicked her hand at him carelessly. His legs immediately started wobbling uncontrollably, and the large man fell to the ground. Two others saw this and raised their wands in unison, firing two killing curses at her. Nyx jumped onto a tombstone like a cat to avoid them before pointing a hand at each one and raising them up. The two men followed her hands, floating in midair, then flying apart and knocking over a few other Death Eaters before flying back towards each other and colliding. Nyx let them drop to the ground in a heap, smirking only slightly.

EM dashed out of the way of an exploding headstone and found that he now had a clear path to Nyx, who was boredly deflecting a barrage of hexes from a particularly irate Death Eater. He got to his feet and started walking towards her quickly, glancing in all directions as he did in case he missed anyone. He'd already taken down five of them, and Nyx had dealt with three and was working on the fourth, but he knew there were ten of them there. When he looked back towards his master, now trading punches with the furious little man, he saw Death Eater #10, the woman Nyx originally spoke with, standing so that she had a clear shot to both EM and his master. The crazed look on her face made him nervous, so he quickened his steps towards Nyx. She had just physically thrown the man she'd been scuffling with into a bush and kicked him for good measure, and she didn't seem to know about the woman a ways behind her, who was now glancing back and forth between the two as if to decide which she wanted to kill first.

As she raised her wand to point at Nyx's back, EM cast a powerful shield charm around her. When the woman screamed "**_Crucio!_**" with delight, the curse bounced off the shield and hit EM square in the chest. He was knocked to the ground as he screamed in agony, making Nyx realize what just happened. She dispelled the shield and turned in time to see the insane woman turn her wand fully on her friend and screamed the curse again, a wild happiness distorting her gaunt face. EM howled in pain as he lay on the ground, thrashing horribly.

Making up her mind in an instant, Nyx pointed a slender hand at the woman and said barely louder than a whisper, "Crucio."

The Death Eater started shrieking and convulsing violently. She fell to the ground, screaming in pain, and Nyx showed no sign of wanting to stop any time soon. The woman started crying and begging her to stop amidst her howls of agony, but the other ignored her. EM got to his feet with difficulty. His whole body felt either sore or numb – he wasn't exactly sure which – as he leaned against a grave for support. He watched his master torture the Death Eater for a few seconds before he gathered the strength to all but limp over to her.

"Lord Psycho…" he said quietly. She stopped the curse and turned to look at him, coldly enraged. He waited for her to speak, but she seemed too angry to do so. Before he could open his mouth, she turned to look at the window on the second floor; the light had gone out.

She growled furiously and whipped around to face her underling. "If you move from this spot, I will tear your goddamned face off." she snarled at him. He nodded helplessly and wondered why she was so upset with him. Nyx turned again and stomped off towards the manor. Upon reaching the front door, she swung it open with much more force than was necessary and dashed in. She ran up the curving staircase as if she knew exactly where she was going, and she did, and burst in on the room that had been illuminated earlier.

It was dark and she didn't see anyone immediately. Walking around carefully, listening for a faint sound, she thought she heard someone hyperventilating near an old wardrobe. She looked all around the thing before deciding that there was someone hiding inside it. Throwing the doors open she grabbed the small man inside and yanked him out roughly. He gave a little yelp as she lifted him almost a foot off the ground and held him there, glaring at him with a dangerous glint in here eyes. He had a mousy appearance to him, with a sharp nose and little, watery eyes, and as Nyx soon heard, a squeaky voice.

"Don't you hurt me!" he said in a very unthreatening tone. "He'll get you for it! And he'll get you for all you just did out there!"

"Oh, really?" Nyx asked tauntingly. "Then why doesn't he get it over with right now? Or did he run away already?"

The short man's face contorted with anger. "_Do not insult the great Dark Lord!_"

"I'll be as rude as I damn well like." She said, settling the matter very quickly. "Now where is he?"

"Not here, _obviously_." He replied before Nyx started choking him. "A-all right! He dis-disapparated a second before you g-got here! I d-don't know where he is!"

Nyx said nothing, and instead let the pathetic little man drop to the floor. She lit a nearby candle with a snap of her fingers and carried it around the room with her, making sure the Death Eater wasn't lying. She was anything but afraid of Voldemort, but she didn't want to get caught off-guard. The man scrambled to his feet and reached inside his pocket for his wand, staying near the wardrobe. She paused to glance out the window. Most of the Death Eaters were still down, but a few seemed to have disapparated. EM was still standing where she left him, probably because she scared him shitless.

Nyx put the candle back on the table and turned to face the other man, now pointing his wand straight at her face. Before she could utter a word, he asked snappily, "Who _are_ you anyway?"

Nyx sighed tiredly. "These days I am known as Lord Psychosis Dragotia. But I was once known as…" – she took a deep breath – "…Nyx."

"I suppose you won't want me to tell the Dark Lord, hmm?" he asked, a mischievous little grin on his face.

"Idiot." She snapped condescendingly. "If I didn't want you to tell him I wouldn't have said anything. Actually, if you _don't_ tell him, I'll probably hunt you down and feed you to my dragons."

The man stared at her fearfully. After a pause he said quietly, "I have orders not to harm anyone by either of those names, but I'd rather like to. So, go on and get out of here before I disobey my master."

Nyx laughed as she walked to the door. "I can assure you, nothing you could do would hurt me terribly. But, I'll humor you and act inferior because you're pointing a wand at my head. Besides, I'd hate to waste any more of your time. I'm sure you have lots of important business to attend to, Mr. Left-Behind." Briefly turning to look at the fuming little man, she saluted him and said, "Adieu."

She strode out the door, laughing to herself, and went back to the graveyard. A few more Death Eaters had apparently gotten up and left, including that lunatic of a woman that attacked EM. He was still standing there looking confused and a bit alarmed. Nyx was still very angry with him, so it was no surprise when she snapped at him.

"We're going home." She said irritably. EM just nodded obediently and followed her when she disapparated to the citadel. The moment he appeared on the platform, Nyx smacked him in the back of the head.

"_What do you call **that**?_" she bellowed. "I _explicitly_ said that I was going _alone_! Why did you follow me? And how in _hell_ did you know where I was?"

"Alex Lazarra showed up here about five minutes to and said you were going to be ambushed at midnight, so I thought I should go…well, help you." he said quickly. "And I thought that crazy woman was going to curse you, so I cursed _her_ first."

Nyx looked like she was ready to kill him, but quickly calmed herself just enough to resist the urge, and spat, "For the record, she was _not_ going to curse me. She was giving me a sort of test to make sure I was the right person. If I answered the questions in a certain way everything would be fine. But _you_ had to butt in and ruin it, and now everything's a train wreck! I promised on my right arm that I would show up alone, and they agreed to it and said that if I went behind their backs and brought anyone they'd kill me and whoever else was there! As you can see, they assumed that you showed up under my orders, and all hell broke lose! And it's all because you believed that dirty traitor! They probably sent him over here to tell you all that just to make sure everything would go wrong and to make me look like a complete _idiot_!"

EM looked genuinely apologetic. "I…I'm so sorry…I just-"

"Sorry isn't going to cut it this time, Jack." She snarled, turning her back on him and stomping up the stairs. "That was my only chance to make a deal with Voldemort that would've given us a considerable advantage, and thanks to you, it just bit the big one! I hope you're _fucking_ happy!"

"…I just wanted to protect you…"

Nyx stopped mid-step. He sounded like he'd just been slapped across the face and spit on. Something in her made her want to apologize for losing it like that…The meeting wasn't _that_ big of a loss…But her pride wouldn't allow her to admit that she was sorry for being angry with him. It wasn't _his_ fault for not knowing he shouldn't have come; she had been pretty vague on details, and if she had said, "I swore I would come alone," he might not have showed up, even if Alex _did_ tell him she was in 'grave danger' or whatever it was. She admitted to herself that she was actually quite touched that he had tried to protect her like that…

"I appreciate the sentiments…" she said a bit more gently. "…but the next time I say I'm going somewhere alone, _do **not** follow me_ – not even if Voldemort himself shows up and tells you he's going to kill me and make a pair of gloves from my hair or something creepy like that."

EM did not respond. Nyx found the silence extremely uncomfortable, so she slowly made her way up the remainder of the stairs and went inside. She needed some sleep. Better yet, she needed a Dreamless-Sleep draught, which she praised god for when she saw they were not out of stock.

EM remained on the platform for a little while, just standing and staring at the ground. The cold air wasn't bothering him very much. It actually helped because it started numbing him after a while, and the rest of him felt numb already.

_Why do I always set her off like that? _He wondered. _I never do it on purpose…Why would I?_ He tore the headwrap off bitterly and started walking up the stone steps. _It's my bloody **job** to protect her…being a bodyguard was part of the deal. I'm ready to die protecting her, and not just because it's in my contract…_

EM decided to take a detour to his room through the kitchen to grab an orange before he turned in. He felt miserable, and oranges were his comfort food. Once in there he ran into Maxu, who was also getting a midnight snack; chocolate chip cookies. The American stared at him blankly as he trudged in the room. EM seemed to ignore him as he took his favorite fruit from the pantry and started to peel it absentmindedly.

On his way out, the black-cloaked man noticed Maxu's surprised stare, and said in a surly voice, "The _hell_ are you staring at?" He then walked out of the room, down a hall, up the stairs, into his room, and slammed the door as hard as he possibly could. He chucked his headwrap at the floor, followed by his hooded cloak, and then flopped onto the soft, unmade deep blue sheets on his large waterbed. He popped a slice of the orange into his mouth as he reached under the frame of the bed to a secret drawer. His hand came back up holding a small black leather-bound book and a quill. He flipped through the pages until he reached a blank one opposite a page full of his own writing. EM dated it and began painstakingly recording the events of the day in his diary after he tapped his quill with his wand, filling it with ink.

The last line read: _…it's not my fault I care about her._

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Maxu remained at the table for a long time, staring at his cookies bitterly. His hopes of revenge against the other man had been dashed to the ground like an unwanted toy. His plan had been to sneak into EM's room at night while his face was uncovered and take a blackmail picture for later use. But now…

_Damn him…If you cover your face up all the time, that's supposed to mean you're **ugly**!_

--- to be continued in Chapter 8 : Louis ---

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (With the exception of Nyx, Evil Minion, Sakura, Schlange, Edgar andMaxu.)

**General Notes: **The psychotic, Crucio-happy Death Eater is Bellatrix Lestrange, and the little mousey guy is Wormtail in case anyone was unsure. None of the other Death Eaters are anyone specific. And the "To repair that which was broken one and fifty years past" line will be explained much, _much_ later, so for now just wonder about it. (Sorry, but if I told you now it would ruin everything.)

**Final Words:** Not much else to say.As far as the next chapter goes, I'm introducing a new character! Woo and yay! And, yes, "Louis" is his name. And, no, it's actually pronounced ze French way, as in "Louie", not "Lewis." Because "Louie" is 20x funnier to say in this situation...You'll agree when you find out more about him. -grin-

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**---** **k**avi-**s**ama **---**


	8. Chapter 8: Louis

_NOTE: "Louis" is meant to be pronounced like "Louie," not "Lewis." (a.k.a. the French way.) Just F.Y.I._

Chapter 8 – Louis

Nyx woke to an obnoxiously bright light streaming in through the small window near the ceiling, straight into her eyes. She hopped out of bed rather irritably and climbed onto someone's trunk to see what on earth burned her eyes out so early in the day. A moment later she leaped off onto the cold, stone floor and started practically singing, "It snowed, it snowed, it _snowed_! I _love_ snow!"

She threw the lid of her trunk open and rummaged around for her clothes as the other girls started waking up crankily, no thanks to her. Most stopped complaining once they saw the bright white stuff outside the windows, but a few just told them all to shut up and went back to sleep. By the time they started getting dressed, Nyx had flown out the door, still prancing about, telling anyone and everyone in her path that it had snowed last night. She had always loved the snow, and had been quite sore when all they got in past days were a few scrawny flakes. It was already December 14th and no snow was positively _absurd_.

Nyx was very relieved that today was a Sunday so that she didn't have to be cooped up in a classroom when there was all that marvelous snow outside to distract her. She made her way to the nearest door leading outside and flew out, nearly crashing into Rubeus Hagrid, and instead tripping over her own feet and landing in the snow.

"Wha' the – " he started, turning around to see who just came barreling out behind him. Nyx looked up at him sheepishly. "Oh, hullo, Ariana! Haven't seen yeh in a while."

"Yeah, sorry about that." She said as she got up and brushed the cold stuff off her butt. "If I had had the time or the opportunity, I – "

"It's all righ', I understand." Hagrid said, smiling cheerily. "So, wha' brin's yeh out here anyway? Looked like yeh were bein' chased."

Nyx laughed. "The snow." The huge gamekeeper chuckled as well. "But, er, I'm a bit nervous about being caught out here alone. Could you perhaps find it in your heart not to tell anyone you saw me sneak out…please?"

"Well, I'm off ter get us a Christmas tree." He said, motioning to the massive axe propped up against a wall next to the door. "Want ter come along? Then nobody can punish yeh if yeh say you're with me, an' I won' have ter lie."

"Thanks." Nyx said, smiling as she began following Hagrid towards the Forbidden Forest. "Is this where you get the tree every year?" she asked after they reached the edge of the trees.

"Yep. Takes a while ter find the good ones, though." He replied proudly. "Usually, I have ter walk fer an hour 'til I find the trees that are big enough." Seeing Nyx's expression he added, "But I have a good feelin' this year I'll find one real close by."

Nyx looked around the frosted forest admiringly. The trees looked exquisite with the fresh snow draped across their branches. She saw a multitude of fresh tracks in the snow, including Hagrid's elephant-sized boot prints. "What sort of creatures live in here, Hagrid?" she asked after she thought she saw a dark shape dash between the trees.

"Oh, all sorts. We've got unicorns, wolves, werewolves, an acromantula – his name's Aragog, I bet yeh'd like 'im – some thestrals, a whole mess of interesting stuff…" he bantered proudly. "An' I used ter have a dragon named Norbert, hatched 'im from an egg myself, but someone found out abou' 'im an' I couldn' keep 'im, of course. Now 'e's in Romania with 'is own kind."

Nyx gave him a sympathetic pat on the elbow as she heard him sniffle loudly. "That's awful, taking away a poor little dragon from a clearly competent owner. You know, in the right hands dragons can be made quite tame."

Hagrid looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "How's a 6th-year know tha'?"

The girl paled and glanced back at the snow quickly, "Er, well, my father knew a man who worked with dragons – a friend of a friend of a friend, actually – and he raised a dragon of his own from an abandoned egg he found, and she turned out something like a very large, very dangerous housecat. Never hurt a fly unless the guy told her to, either."

"Blimey," the gamekeeper said, sounding impressed. "Did yeh ever get ter see it?"

"No," Nyx replied, shaking her head sadly. "As I said, this bloke was a friend of a friend of a friend, or maybe even more, so we'd never actually met him. I would've loved to, though; dragons fascinate me."

Hagrid switched shoulders with his axe and said as if this was an enormous secret, "Well, I don' have any dragons, but there _is_ a three-headed dog ou' here somewhere…"

Nyx looked around with true excitement. "Really? A wild one or a pet of yours?"

"'Is name's Fluffy, and 'e's dead harmless once yeh play a bit of music for 'im." The half-giant chuckled. "Used to keep 'im up in the school, but with safety regulations an' all I had ter move 'im ou' here a few years back."

"Where on earth would one keep a three-headed dog in _there_?" she asked, bewildered. "Wouldn't someone find him eventually?"

Hagrid sighed heavily. "Actually, tha's jus' wha' happened…"

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Over an hour later, Nyx reappeared at the front doors of the school. With a great heave, she pushed the heavy wooden door open just enough to fit herself through. As soon as she did so, she stepped to the side and paused to brush the thick layer of snow off her cloak and hood. Professor McGonagall wandered by, reading some kind of list on a scroll of paper.

"Good morning." She said absent-mindedly. After she took a few steps further, she suddenly stopped and blinked a few times, and then turned around to look at Nyx again. "What were you doing outside, Miss Harthcrow?" she asked in total confusion.

"Havin' trouble wi' the door, I see," said a loud voice from the other side of the door before it started swinging open seemingly of it's own accord. A white-covered Hagrid stepped in to look at McGonagall and Nyx curiously. "Did I miss somethin'?"

"Oh, is Miss Harthcrow with you, Hagrid?" the old witch asked, the feather on her pointed hat wiggling as she turned her head to look up at him.

"Yep, jus' helpin' me fetch the tree," he replied, nodding outside. McGonagall gave the girl an approving nod and excused herself after apologizing for jumping to conclusions. Hagrid turned to Nyx and said, "Well, once I pull the tree in I'll be all set. Yeh can go get some breakfast if yeh want, I'll be here a while yet."

"Well, if you're sure you don't need me…" she said with a playful smile after glancing outside again to see the massive pine lying on the snowy ground. She bid him good-bye and headed off to the Great Hall, stomach growling furiously. She hadn't noticed that it was almost 9:00 until she reached the long hall and saw a clock on one of the walls. She quickly seated herself and began digging in almost ravenously. She stopped at one point to see if Draco was anywhere in sight, and he wasn't. She continued eating as she silently wondered if he was back in the Room of Requirement working on that old wardrobe.

A while later, after she had finished her large meal, Nyx got up to leave when she heard the rush of wings from above. She had forgotten that the post owls came later on Sundays and simply assumed she hadn't received any mail. She waited by the table patiently, although not expecting anything. She just thought it more polite to the owl delivering her mail to wait and take it's delivery there rather than go off and force it to search for her for who knows how long. To her great surprise, a dark brown owl toting a fair-sized wooden crate flew straight for her as it entered the hall through a window, and landed gently before her.

Nyx looked at the crate suspiciously. Her minions back in the Himalayas hadn't said anything to her about sending any packages in the near future, and she hadn't arranged for anything to be sent to her otherwise. She inspected the wooden box closely, noting the small, round holes in the sides and large, red letters stamped across each side, spelling out, "FRAGILE." The owl stared at her with its large, amber eyes and fidgeted as if it was waiting anxiously for her to open it. It almost seemed as if the bird knew what was inside and was excited about seeing her reaction, like when you're at a birthday party and it's your gift that's being opened. The girl slowly plucked off the card attached to the top. On it was written in elegant but not flamboyant cursive, "To Nyx." A dark look crossed her face for an instant. Something was off; the handwriting looked oddly familiar, and no one other than Slughorn and Snape was supposed to know who she really was…

Hesitantly, Nyx sat down and pulled out a wand. She charmed the crate open, simply because it was easier, and peered inside as she lifted the top up only a bit. The inside of the crate was lined with a soft greenish fabric, the proper name of which Nyx could not recall, that acted as an excellent insulator for the colder months of the year. She assumed it was wrapped around something when she opened it further and saw that there was a slight bulge around the middle. She carefully placed the wooden cover on the table next to the delivery owl and pondered what to do with the cloth and whatever was inside. She didn't know why she suspected something dangerous to be underneath the cloth, but the writing and her real name were apparently plenty enough evidence to arouse suspicion in her mind.

Nyx reached out a pointed finger, slowly, and gently prodded the small bulge; it shuddered and made a soft squeaky sound.

The girl's eyes widened nervously as her hand shrunk back. Nyx took a deep breath and picked up a corner of the fabric and tossed it off, cringing. The cringe transformed into "oh, **_shit_**", and she slammed the lid back on the crate almost faster than her hands could move. She resealed it and rushed out of the room, attracting stares, and leaving a rather pleased owl sitting on the table.

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Hagrid poured Hermione Granger another cup of hot chocolate. Harry Potter was seated next to her at the gamekeeper's table inside his little hut. Ron Weasley sat across from Harry, sipping his own drink contentedly.

"These Muggle drinks aren't so bad, Hermione," the redhead said, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "What's it called again?"

"Hot chocolate, or hot cocoa." She replied patiently. "I've always had this in the winter ever since I was a little girl." She smiled warmly and took a long drink.

Harry fidgeted with his cup, staring at his fingers quietly.

"Wha's wrong, Harry?" Hagrid asked as he placed the large pot of Hermione's magically-brewed hot chocolate back on his old, wood-burning stove.

"Nothing much." He half-lied. The other's stares prompted him to elaborate, so he obliged. "I've just been thinking of what happened in Myrtle's bathroom that one day with that new girl, what's-her-name…"

"Yeah, she's a weird one alright." Ron said with a disapproving look. "Don't know how she was able to join up with the rest of us at such a weird time, either."

"Dumbledore probably gave her some sort of test over the summer to make sure she knew enough to take the N. E. W. T.-level courses here." The girl said plainly. "Still, there's something odd about her. She does very well in all her subjects, as far as I know, but she barely ever seems to pay attention to what's going on in class."

"Yeah!" the redhead chimed in. "And how come I haven't ever seen her hand in any homework for Potions or Defense Against the Dark Arts? I dunno about Slughorn, but there's _no way_ Snape would put up with it for a _minute_!"

"Oh, come on now," Hagrid said peaceably. "Have any of yeh ever really _talked_ to her? She's not _half_ as bad as yeh all make her sound like."

"How do _you_ know?" Ron blurted quite tactlessly.

"I talked to her over the summer before Professor Dumbledore gave her her tests." He replied with a wink to Hermione. "Matter o' fact, she went with me jus' this mornin' to get the Christmas tree. Ariana's quite nice – _if_ yeh give her a chance."

Harry fidgeted in his seat. "Well, it's not like anyone's been outright nasty to her…Especially us…"

"She didn't seem to make much of an attempt to get friendly with anyone else this year, except for Malfoy," the girl seated next to him said after downing another gulp of cocoa. "And from what Harry said, she was downright nasty the last time he spoke with her."

"When was tha'?" Hagrid asked. They hadn't told him about that incident yet, simply because they hadn't been around him much since it happened, and whatever they wanted to talk about was more important than Ariana's odd behavior.

Just as Harry opened his mouth to tell him what happened, they heard a few loud knocks at the door. The three Gryffindors cast each other nervous looks. They had made it out to Hagrid's underneath Harry's invisibility cloak, so no one knew they were there. If there was a teacher of the other side of the door, they were in a whole mess of trouble. Hagrid just signaled for them to stay where they were and muttered that he'd take all responsibility for their breaking the rules because he didn't send them back to the school. As he walked to the door calmly, the knock came again, this time obviously frantic.

"H-Hagrid?" a female voice called form the other side. "Are you in there?"

The gamekeeper cracked the door open a sliver and peered out, only to throw it open while saying, "Well, long time no see, Ariana." The trio grimaced as a whole and looked past Hagrid's large girth to see the Slytherin girl standing on the doorstep, shivering as she clutched a moderately-sized wooden crate. "Come on in," he said, stepping out of the way and tossing the others a suggestive look.

Nyx started to step inside, but stopped quickly when she saw the small group staring back at her stoically. "Oh, er," she spluttered. "I see I'm not the only one with the idea of dropping by…Er, I can come back later if you're –"

"Nonsense!" Hagrid said cheerily as he shut the door and guided her inside further. "The more the merrier!" Ron gave the back of his shaggy head a dirty look.

Nyx removed her snowy cloak and hung it on a little rack while clutching the wooden box protectively. Harry noticed that she looked very anxious and flustered, and wondered what she seemed to have gotten in the mail. Hagrid voiced this.

"Wha's tha' in the box?" he asked conversationally.

"W-well, that's why I came down here," she said uncomfortably, not sitting in any of the free chairs. "I got this in the mail just a few minutes ago, a-and I don't know who it's from but it's addressed to me, and I'm _very_ confused and alarmed…"

"What is it?" Hermione asked with great interest, keeping in mind what her large friend had said earlier.

"Er, it's better if I just show you, I think…Professor McGonagall caught me when I was on my way out here, and when I showed her what it was she agreed that Hagrid was the best person to go to, so she let me out…"

"Well," the Care of Magical Creatures teacher chimed in with the bushy-haired girl. "Wha' _is_ it?"

Nyx sighed and placed the crate on the table carefully. "Before I open this, are any of you afraid of any kind of…er, creatures?"

"Spiders." Ron said quickly, leaning away from the box as much as possible without falling form his chair. Harry and Hermione stifled a laugh as they shook their heads to signify a "no."

"It's worse than a spider." The Slytherin said in a constricted voice. She hesitated a moment as she put her fingers underneath the wooden lid as if she needed to decide whether she should really be showing them what was inside. Finally losing it, Nyx flipped the top off and lifted the cloth as she wailed, "_Somebody sent me a baby basilisk_!"

And it was true; the foot-long serpent was coiled up at the bottom of the box, asleep. It's vivid green scales had bits of shell stuck to them, plus several larger pieces around it, suggesting that it had hatched while in transit. Hermione gave a little shriek and jumped back quite a distance as Harry and Ron followed suit, without the shriek. Hagrid was already leaning over the wooden table as he stared at the little snake in complete amazement.

"…yeh sure it's a basilisk?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"'Course I am!" Nyx said indignantly. "Why do you think I'd be making such a fuss if I wasn't?"

Hermione slowly approached the crate again and peeked in at the sleeping hatchling. "Yes, that's definitely a basilisk…the little horns on it's head by it's eyes and the shape of it's head give it away…"

Harry walked over hesitantly and asked, "Did you see what its eyes looked like yet?"

"Obviously not since she's still alive right now," Ron said from a safe distance away.

"Actually until a basilisk matures it's gaze doesn't hurt a thing." The too-smart-for-her-own-good girl said.

"They were yellow, like a normal basilisk." Nyx said as she crouched to the floor and rested her chin on the table. She furrowed her brow and groaned. "Good show with the mail-monitoring, Ministry." She grumbled sarcastically before moaning, "Who sends someone a baby basilisk? _Honestly_…What do they think I'm gonna do with it?"

"I could keep it for yeh," Hagrid offered. "I'm used ter dangerous creatures."

"**_What?_**" Harry blurted in disbelief. "Do you have _any idea_ how dangerous that thing'll be once it grows up?" His memory had shifted to four years ago when he went down into the Chamber of Secrets and fought a fully-grown basilisk and came frighteningly close to death several times. "And where are you gonna keep it? Surely not in the school; you know what happened the last time there was a basilisk in _there_!"

Nyx's attention had turned on the boy as soon as he started speaking as if he'd been around one of the creatures before. "Er…am I missing something? There was a basilisk _inside_ Hogwarts?"

Harry immediately regretted going down that path as he remembered that she was new and clearly didn't know about all the trouble they'd had that year, and who was the ultimate source of it.

He sighed a bit and turned to Hagrid, asking, "Should we tell her?"

The gamekeeper nodded. "She deserves ter know."

The Gryffindors and Hagrid took their seats once again as Nyx joined them, pulling a rickety old chair over from a corner. Harry took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his jet-black hair, and began retelling the full story of Tom Riddle's diary and the Chamber of Secrets.

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"…and Fawkes flew all of us out of the Chamber and back to the school. I gave the diary back to Lucius Malfoy – yeah, Draco's dad – who'd put it in Ginny's cauldron over the summer before it all happened. The Riddle from the diary was destroyed, I was alright, Ron was alright, Ginny was alright, Lockhart still couldn't remember who he was but he was still alright otherwise, and we all lived happily ever after. The _end_." Harry finished tiredly, with a large emphasis on the word "end." He'd been talking for almost three hours straight, Nyx listening intently all the while.

"Bloody hell, you've been through the ringer." She said in an impressed voice.

"You haven't got a _clue_." The Boy Who Lived groaned as he downed a refreshing glass of cold water to ease the dry pain in his throat. "I'm glad Ron and Hermione have stuck with me, though. Being best mates with Harry Potter isn't exactly easy." He smiled at them proudly.

Nyx grinned. "You're lucky to have such good friends. My grandmother told me before she died that he never had any real friends while he was at school; you can see where _that_ gets you in life. That reminds me of something else, too," she continued. "I want to apologize for my atrocious behavior in the bathroom that day back in October. My only excuse for being so rude is that I was really on edge that day, and that obnoxious ghost wasn't helping my attitude."

"Oh," Harry said, rather surprised at the apology. "Er, no problem."

"Hang on," Ron started, leaning forward in his chair. "You mean 'he' as in Tom Riddle? You-Know-Who?"

"Yeah. Didn't I tell you my grandmother was a classmate of his?"

"No!" Harry and Ron blurted simultaneously. Harry continued uncomfortably with, "I know this must sound horribly rude, but was she a…a, um…Death Eater?"

Hermione stared at him, aghast and yelped in disbelief, "Harry!"

"Well it never hurts to ask!" he said defensively. "I'm only curious! I'm not gonna spit on her just because her _grandmother_ was a Death Eater! …_if_ she was."

Nyx laughed, turning their attention back to her. "No, she wasn't. From what she said to me, she thought he'd always been a bit shady, and she didn't like him much. And she certainly didn't trust him either." She said, smiling pleasantly. "By the way, you didn't offend me. You're not the first who's asked that when I mentioned my grandmother was in his class, but you're one of a sad few who asked politely."

The others chuckled, imagining several awkward situations ending in someone's intense embarrassment.

As Ron opened his mouth to say something, Hagrid quickly butted in, saying, "Oh! Look! He's awake!" He pointed to the wooden crate still set before Nyx on the table. A little dragonish basilisk head poked out and looked around at each person suspiciously. But when it saw Nyx, its eyes lit up happily and it chirped:

"_Mummy!_"

The girl's expression changed to despair, and Harry nearly fell out of his seat, clutching his gut because he was laughing so hard. He clamed a bit for a moment and asked, grinning, "Did it just call you 'mummy'?" Ron started chuckling as well.

"_Mummy! Mummy!_" the basilisk hissed, staring at Nyx. As Harry resumed his laughter with the other Gryffindors and Hagrid, the little snake slithered out of the crate with some difficulty and poked its way under her hand. It looked up at her affectionately and repeated, "_Mummy!_"

"Wait, so it thinks you're its mother?" Hermione asked, stifling a giggle.

"Yer a _Parselmouth_?" Hagrid asked in astonishment.

"Er, yes. Sorry I didn't mention that before, but you know…And, apparently it does." Nyx said defeatedly, still in a moderate state of shock. She glanced down at the basilisk winding its way between her fingers playfully and sighed. "_Do you have a name?_" she asked it in it's own language.

"_No. Mummy names me!_" it rasped, almost smiling up at her.

She paused to think for a minute. Ron asked what she and the snake had said and Harry answered for her.

"Wha's a good name fer a basilisk?" Hagrid said somewhat sarcastically, leaning back in his large chair.

"_Are you a girl or a boy?_" Harry asked the hatchling suddenly.

The basilisk eyed him warily before looking up at its 'mummy', who nodded in approval. "_A boy_." Harry repeated this information to the others, who were now quite sorry they weren't Parselmouths too.

"Well, Fang's righ' out," the half-giant said plainly, gesturing to the massive boarhound snoozing at his feet.

"So's Fluffy," Ron added with a shiver, recalling the indecent with the three-headed dog.

"Who names a basilisk 'Fluffy'?" his friend asked incredulously.

"What about Valikzat?" Hermione asked. Nyx's head turned to face her sharply.

"What about…what?" she asked with widened eyes.

"Valikzat." She repeated, refilling her cup with her wand. "I read something recently about a very famous basilisk with that name. It was born over 1,000 years ago, and it's still alive today as far as everyone knows. Except no one knows where it lives now because no one's seen it in ages. This basilisk was said to have grown over 100 feet in length, twice the normal size, and it was supposed to have been the most powerful basilisk that ever lived. Valikzat was also rumored to have been Salazar Slytherin's pet back when he was alive, but if that's true then that I guess that means Harry killed it."

"Good job, mate," Ron said, clapping him on the back. Harry glowered at him.

"I can't have killed this Valik-whatever because the basilisk in the Chamber wasn't _nearly_ 100 feet long," he said. Suddenly his glower turned to a grimace of pain as the 6th-year jumped up and yelled, flailing his arm around. The little basilisk was clamped onto his finger and hissing curses at him. Apparently, despite the fact that he wasn't even a day old, he didn't take kindly to basilisk-killers.

"_Gerroff me!_" Harry yelled at it. "_I'll make a purse out of you! I swear!_"

The snake snarled a string of obscenities at him, prompting a curious look from the boy whose finger he was trying to eat. _Where'd he learn all **those**? _

"_Let go_." Nyx growled, her voice suddenly powerful and commanding. Even the non-Parselmouths could guess that she'd just given a very serious order. The baby basilisk reluctantly pulled its tiny fangs out of Harry's finger and dropped to the table before slithering back to his mummy, hissing a quiet apology. _"It's all right, just don't attack anybody ever again unless I tell you to."_

Harry stared at her nervously.

"…_and **especially** don't attack any of **them**_" She added, pointing to each of the others in turn for emphasis. The serpent nodded a bit grudgingly, but soon wound its way around her fingers again. Even Nyx had to admit that it was horribly cute. A flash of inspiration lit up her face for a moment. She grinned proudly and declared, "I think I know a good name for him."

"…which is?" Hermione prodded with sincere interest.

Nyx leaned back in her chair, appraising the basilisk. "Louis."

Ron and Harry exploded into laughter again, winning them a glare from the girl and 'Louis.'

"What's wrong with Louis?" she asked critically. "_He_ seems to like it." The little snake nodded enthusiastically.

"Well…I thought you'd give him a more…" Ron said, still chuckling. "…_menacing_ name, maybe. I mean, he's gonna grow up to be a huge, dangerous, nasty beast," – Louis growled at him – "so why not give him a name to match?"

"Yeah," Harry said, leaning on the table. "I thought you'd name him Biter or something." He rubbed his sore, bleeding finger tenderly, which Hermione suddenly healed with a flick of her wand.

"Well, _I_ think Louis is a good name," she said, smiling at the pair. The snake looked up at her curiously, then chirped happily and slunk over under her hand as if to say, "You're nice; I like nice people." She laughed when his cool scales tickled the underside of her hand and patted him on his little head.

Nyx grinned as she brushed an annoying strand of hair out of her face. She was starting to look forward to caring for the little creature for several reasons. Louis slithered over to his mummy again and rolled onto his back like a kitten and asked for her to pet his stomach. She laughed warmly and obliged, soon getting very into it and tickling him playfully. The basilisk wiggled around, squealing for her to stop, which only made her poke at him more, laughing almost maniacally. She suddenly stopped when Louis flipped over and chomped her finger with startling speed. Instead of yelling at him to get off or yelling in general because it hurt, Nyx started laughing again, a purer, happier laugh than she'd heard from her own throat for a very long time.

After watching the girl play with the little basilisk for a while, Ron butted in with an honest question: "Are you _sure_ you're a Slytherin?"

Nyx chuckled again and replied, "'Course I am. Why?"

"You _definitely_ don't act like one." He said, leaning back in his chair comfortably.

She stared at him for a while as if she needed to think on whether that was a compliment or an insult. She decided compliment, and smiled back at him. Nyx once again felt warmth in her long-frozen heart, and started thinking that things would be looking up from now on.

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Nyx was quite right when she had those optimistic thoughts that day. She now had a friend in Harry, Hermione and Ron, though she had few chances to pal around with them due to the excessive amount of homework the teachers felt the need to assign them. But, during classes when they needed partners and during free time and meals, Nyx made a clear effort to join her new companions. This gained her a foul reputation amongst the Slytherins, but put her in a good light for all other houses. Not in many years had there been a Slytherin-Gryffindor friendship between students, and it intrigued the staff. A few entertained fantasies of other Slytherins following her lead and everyone in the school eventually getting along like they were meant to, in the very beginning – back when the founders still taught there.

Draco in particular noticed her 'betrayal' of her own house and actually tried to lecture her on how screwed she was if she took his side when the Dark Lord rose to power once again. She wondered what had happened to dispel his fear of her she thought she had instilled in the Room of Requirement months before.

When he refused to let her be after several warnings, Nyx had but one thing to say to him: "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer." Draco took the hint and did not speak to her at all for another week, acting as if he detested her every time he saw her. She had to give him credit for being bright enough to do so, but he still couldn't hold a candle to…

_No, don't even think his name…_she scolded herself. _You'll just mess yourself up and end up having another vision or nightmare or whatever…_

In the same week-or-so after he arrived, Louis also attracted a great deal of attention to Nyx – if nothing else because the girl 'wore' him draped around her neck like a scarf all day, every day – even to classes. More than twenty girls had already jumped back from her, screaming, when they realized that he was a live snake. Only a few rather clever people had picked up on the fact that Louis was a basilisk, but that was fine because until he matured at age 8 his eyes were harmless and he would possess no venom. So, none of the teachers, even Dumbledore, could really force her to leave him in the dormitory during the day since he was perfectly harmless. The 2-and-a-half-foot-long serpent was clearly under Nyx's control when she demonstrated her Parseltongue abilities when he mentioned plans of curling up in an unknowing someone's bed during the night because they called him "gross."

Nyx was quite proud of her little basilisk. He kept an ear on all of his mummy's lessons and tried to learn something from them for his own benefit, and he behaved rather well. He liked hearing about Salazar Slytherin, basilisks, famous Parselmouths, and everything to do with Dark magic. Nyx thought he was rather smart for a baby snake and wore him proudly, ignoring any and all looks of disapproval. Still, when the incessant gasps of fear got on her nerves just so much, Nyx made a little green-and-silver-striped tie to match her own for Louis to wear. She guessed that it would 'soften' his fearsome look enough to stop all the irritating nervousness of those around her while he sat upon her shoulders like a feather boa. Now, the girls who had once run away shrieking gravitated to him, commenting on how cute he looked. As far as Louis was concerned, the situation had only gotten worse.

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Christmas was soon just around the corner, and the students all counted down the days until they were mercifully given time off. Nyx was no exception, but it was for quite a different reason. She was highly anticipating Slughorn's annual Christmas Eve Party, which had not failed to be an entertaining experience the last time she attended. She had spoken with Harry as soon as she got the invitation – _as if I needed one_ – to ask if he was planning on going. After some careful prodding, Nyx convinced him of how sorry he would be to miss it and he agreed to go. But when he asked if she was going with anyone, she couldn't lie that she already had plans with someone, and instead wished him luck finding a date, if only for the one night.

She and EM were scheduled to return to their mountain headquarters on Christmas Day just after lunch. Snape got permission for her to leave the school grounds in order to get home by "other means than the Hogwarts Express" – a.k.a., Apparition. The DADA teacher had to lie to Dumbledore about this because since Nyx hadn't "passed her Apparition exam yet," her doing so would be thought of as illegal, and therefore she would have to take the bloody train and waste a whole afternoon.

The final day of classes before the vacation had finally come, and everyone in Snape's class was fidgeting uncomfortably. No one had any lessons after the period was over, and the clock seemed to have had a curse put on it to make time seem to crawl by as slowly as possible. The professor had already assigned a cruel amount of homework, due the day they returned, and was now forcing the students to take notes on an excessively tedious chapter explaining all the effects of double-edged-sword curses – spells that hurt another object or person and then hurt the caster. Nyx supposed it wouldn't be so boring if they could _show_ what happened rather than put it into words, but perhaps that was only her desire to see someone freeze another person solid and then have the seat of their pants burst into flames not a moment later.

She glanced down at her bag quickly to look for Louis. He had slithered off her neck when Snape announced the note-taking activity to have a nap between her Potions and Charms books. She became worried when she didn't see his distinctly green scales anywhere and started digging through the bag as quietly as possible. Even if Snape came over to watch her look for the basilisk he wouldn't punish her, but her classmates often snapped at her when she made noise during class. The class was hard enough without her making noise and distracting them, according to the pissers and moaners. Louis was definitely not anywhere in there, so the girl started looking around on the floor nearby in case he though now was a good time to go for a stroll.

A sudden, ear-piercing scream turned everyone's attention to the middle of the room where Pansy Parkinson had jumped on top of her desk, sending her notes flying everywhere and spilling ink all over Draco, seated beside her. She looked like she'd been groped by a ghost as she stared at the floor in alarm.

"_What a sissy."_ Louis hissed nastily from the floor.

It took most of Nyx's will power not to start snarling at him in snake-language just yet. Without looking at Snape, she rose form her seat and stomped over to Pansy's desk. Nyx snatched Louis up by the end of his tail and dangled him in front of her face and began quietly hissing a description of what she'd do if he ever did that again. The not-quite-so-little-anymore snake suddenly turned his head when she was in the middle of speaking as he heard purposeful footsteps approaching her. Nyx stopped abruptly and followed the direction of Louis' gaze to see a very irritated Snape glaring back at her.

"_Oh! Uh…Sorry._" She hissed sheepishly.

Snape blinked once.

Nyx slapped her forehead and repeated in English, "…sorry."

"Disruptions are not tolerated in my classroom, Miss Harthcrow." He said coldly. "I would have thought that after three months you would realize this."

"It was _his_ fault!" she whined, pointing at Louis. He scowled at her and rasped an insult in reply.

"Exactly." The man said, a malicious sneer appearing on his pale face. "The agreement was that as long as it does not cause problems in or out of the classroom, you would be permitted to carry it around with you. I would consider whatever it did to Miss Parkinson a problem."

"It licked my leg!" she wailed pathetically from atop the desk. "It felt _horrid_!"

"I doubt one disruption will make the Headmaster change his mind," Nyx said. She didn't seem very affected by the teacher's treatment of the situation; she could tell he wasn't seriously angry with her or considering going to Dumbledore to make her stop toting Louis around everywhere.

"No, I don't think so either," Snape said softly. "However…perhaps _this_ will influence you to keep better control over your…_little friend_." He spoke venomously, but Nyx could tell by his eyes that he had no intention of punishing her.

Snape shoved an old, dog-eared book into her free hand. Nyx stared at the black, weathered cover and the title in shimmering bronze letters: Dangerous Diseases, Sinister Syndromes, Putrid Plagues and Irksome Illnesses.The authors name had been worn off except for a few odd letters.

Nyx looked back up at him and asked with a bored sigh, "I suppose I have to read this by the end of break?"

"Only Chapter 13." He replied. "Be prepared to discuss the contents of it with me after school the day we return." Without another word, Snape turned and strode back towards his desk, looking quite pleased with himself. When he sat down and looked back at the class, he sighed irritably and snapped, "Have a seat, both of you."

Pansy crawled back off of her desk with no help from her boyfriend, who was busy siphoning ink off of his robes, scowling. Nyx dropped Louis into her bag an ordered him not to move a muscle until the period was over. Before returning to her notes, she flipped the old book open to the first page of the thirteenth chapter.

Moments later, the bell rang and the people around her quickly gathered their things and dashed out of the gloomy classroom, cheering and bursting into talk of get-together plans and presents and seeing families again. Nyx couldn't hear them; her gaze was locked onto the page with the chapter's title and a nearly full-page, 1,000-year-old illustration. Snape had gathered his things as well and walked by her desk calmly.

He said nothing to her, although he really would've liked to. It could wait for Christmas Eve, he decided. He already told Horace he would show up for his silly party, although he would honestly rather be by himself. He wouldn't tell him why, but he preferred spending holidays alone in his cherished solitude. This Christmas, though, was different.

Nyx sat in the dark room for perhaps another minute, staring at the page. Anyone else would think she was in a trance, but Snape knew that she'd been paralyzed with shock. He stood at the door patiently, waiting for her to do something out of pure curiosity. But even he had his limits, and stalked away a minute or two later, leaving Nyx to stare at the words on the page, alone:

_Sang Maudit Syndrome._

--- to be continued in Chapter 9 : Ghosts of Christmases Passed ---

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**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (**Exception:** Nyx and Louis...and SMS, too, for good measure.)

**A/N:** Aren't you glad I restrained myself from writing a Beast of a chapter again? ...I know, me too. And don't you just LOVE fiesty little baby basilisks named Louis? ...I know, me too.

Just as a "coming attractions" type thing, I plan on doing a veritable shitload of drawings for this fic, like the little chapter illustrations in the actual books, plus character design sheets and whatnot. However, I don't anticipate finishing anything soon as I have a hard time doing two things at once: meaning, I can't illustrate and write the fic at the same time. My brian will go "Boinky! Boinky! Boinky!" and then implode, and then I will be sad.

**General Notes:** Yes, Nyx now knows the entire story behind the Sorcerer's Stone and the Chamber of Secrets. I just didn't feel like typing them all out since you ought to know them if you're reading this fic. It's supposed to be implied, but...not everyone's the brightest crayon in the box, y'know...

Hermione has connections so she knows things she never could under normal circumstances. I.E. that Nyx had to take her little "entrance exams" over the summer. (This is what it looks like when someone pulls a plot-hole-fixer out of thier ass on the spot. Isn't it lovely, folks?)

You will find out why Snapey's being mean to Nyx in the next chapter, but you won't get to learn all about a lovely little thing called Sang Maudit Syndrome until chapter 10. It's actually quite nasty. I have a whole PowerPoint presentation on it for quick reference. I'm so proud of myself. -holds up a sign that says "Clap, foolish mortals!"-

**Final Words:** I'm sure you've all been waiting anxiously for the next chapter, as it will have a full-blown description of Evil Minion without his headwrap and hood and such, _plus_ his real full name,**_plus_**why he joined Nyx in the first place, **_plus_** why he hates Alex Lazarra, _PLUS A **FREE TOASTER!** **OH MY GOD! IT'S A TOASTER!** **FEAR IT!** FEEEAARRR IIIIIIT..._

...just kidding about the toaster. And why he joined Nyx. ...aaand why he hates dear ole' Alex. -coughs uncomfortably and shuffles off-

**Thanks for reading and have have a nice day!**

**--- k**avi**-s**ama** ---**

* * *

**hiya!** : -dies laughing- ...no, no Voldy underneath EM's headwrap. (GOD, that was funny...) And as far as EM's looks go...as it says above, you'll have to wait until the next chapter to find out if you're right nor not... -is about to burst because she really_ really_ wants to give it away but can't and that's sad- And no, you're not reading into it way too much. In fact, those who read into it way too much might just predict what happens in future chapters better than Sybill Trelawney could ever hope to...

...-coughs-


	9. Chapter 9: Ghosts of Christmases Passed

Chapter 9 – Ghosts of Christmases Passed

"…are you sure I have to do this?"

"Yes."

"…_really_ sure?"

"_Yes_."

"…I mean like "fate worse than death if I don't" sure?"

"_Yes, dammit, **yes**!_"

"But I feel like I'm _naked_!"

"Oh, get over it! It never bothered you back then."

"Well…things were different back then."

"…I suppose so."

"…I'm so _cold_…"

"If you don't knock it off _right now_ – "

"I'm sorry! I just never go out dressed like this. **_Ever_**."

"You know, I thought this would be a nice treat for you, going to a party. Might cheer you up a bit. You've seemed a bit down for the past month…"

"Yeah, no thanks to you and _Junior_…"

"_Shut up, filth!"_

"What'd he say?"

"…he still hates you."

"No, what he _really_ said."

"He said 'shut up, filth.'"

"Oh, how kind. I can't believe you teach him to act like that."

"I don't do it on _purpose_, I already told you that…stuff just…slips out…"

"Sure it does."

"…well, anyway, my point is that taking you to this little shindig is to cheer you up a bit. It makes me feel bad when you're going all emo like that time it was raining out and you were sitting in the window with your hood pulled down over your eyes, staring out the window for the longest time, being all moody and – "

"All right, all right, I get your point…that only goes in phases, by the way…"

"And it's also to…well, apologize."

"For what?"

"I've been really irritable the past couple months, and I know I've been especially bitchy to you because you're the only one around anymore, and I want to apologize for it. There's a reason, but it's pretty stupid if I think about it for long enough."

"…and that reason is…?"

"I'd rather not say."

"Why?"

"You'll piss your pants laughing at me."

"_I'd pay 20 sickles to see that."_

"…and?"

"And that suit cost _me_ 50 galleons, so there you are."

"…really?"

"Yes, why?"

"…it's not very comfortable…and I look like a fool…"

"_I concur_."

"_Quiet, you_…No you don't."

"You only say that because you're trying to get on my good side tonight."

"_Hit that right on the nose, didn't he?"_

"Nonsense. I think you look rather dashing."

"…don't _even_ start."

"Why? I'm being honest this time!"

"_Liar."_

"…then I hate flattery."

"Oh, _please._ Stop being so self-conscious."

EM fell silent. He couldn't really argue with her there. The only noise he could hear now were the clicking of Nyx's heels against the stone floors and the swooshing of her long dress as she walked beside him. He was starting to wonder what possessed him to agree to this, and then he looked at his master.

She wore a deep, wine-red halter-topped dress, likely made of silk, with a sash wrapped around her waist and resting on her hips. The sash was black and shimmered entrancingly, and was tied just above where the red fabric split to form an upside-down V, the rest trailing behind her elegantly. Behind the split was the same fabric as the sash, and the entire ensemble of colors made a striking contrast with Nyx's pale skin and green-gray eyes. A few shimmering dots lined the edges of the wine-red fabric of the dress, and upon closer inspection one would find that they were tiny diamonds. To set all this off, she wore her old, ruby pendant on the gold chain, wrapped around her neck three times so that the gem rested where the dress' neckline ended, plus the glittering diamond-and-silver ring she had worn back when they had returned to the citadel.

All of this made her look quite stunning, in EM's opinion, and that wasn't even including her face. She was wearing dark red eye shadow plus black eyeliner and mascara to make her light, greenish eyes stand out and to accent the dress. She wasn't partial to blush and was actually quite fond of her whitish skin, so she skipped it and went straight on to a deep red lipstick. She left her long, slightly wavy hair down, but styled it just a bit with a charm or two to make it a bit more controlled and attractively shiny. When she may or may not have imagined seeing a lone gray hair upon her head, she dyed her hair pitch black with a wave of her hand, making it seemingly richer and darker than before. Even with the controlling charm on it, her raven hair still looked moderately unruly as usual – especially that one strand of hair that fell across her face whenever she let her guard down. On days when her temper was unusually short, she actually threatened the piece of hair with a shearing charm if it didn't stop bothering her.

EM felt his face flush a bit as he watched her, officially deciding he preferred her in this form to her usual taller, scarier persona, and quickly trying to force that thought into the back of his mind. If she caught him thinking things like _that_ he wouldn't make it to Slughorn's party in one piece. But after a few moments of silent pondering he decided he was very glad she'd brought him along. He hadn't been anywhere where he could dress like a normal person – as in without having to hide from the world as usual – in almost 7 years. Although he wasn't particularly fond of the snappy, black suit-like dress robes he was wearing because they were so much more restricting than his normal outfit, he had to admit to himself that he looked pretty good in them.

"_Are you **sure** we have to bring him?_" Louis hissed from his resting place on Nyx's shoulders.

"_Yes,_" she replied without having to ask who he was talking about.

"…_I don't like him_." The basilisk snarled.

"_You only hate him because he's not me_." His mummy said curtly. "_Now start acting civil or I won't take you in with me._"

Louis quickly snapped his mouth shut. He didn't want his new accessory to go to waste; Nyx had made him a fake white collar with a little black bowtie just for him to wear to the party to replace his Slytherin tie. He and EM had had a sort of rivalry over Nyx since the former arrived. The little snake wanted all of his mummy's attention, and EM couldn't help but want to be with her whenever he could, so the two started off hating each other with a passion. Nyx had no choice but to side with the human more often just because he'd been around so much longer than the basilisk, and because Louis' insults were often downright childish.

After a few more moments of silently walking down the hall, the snake felt the urge to speak again.

"_Um…mummy?_"

"_Yes?_"

"…_do you like him?"_

"_Who? Him?"_ She nodded her head towards EM, who glanced at them curiously.

"_Yeah."_

"…_that's a pretty personal question, you know."_

"_I know. But do you?"_

"_May I ask why you're suddenly interested?"_

"_If you like him I won't be mean to him anymore. I promise."_

"_I like him."_

"…_how much?"_

"_A **lot."**_

"_Oh, okay…hey, wait a second! You only said you liked him so I'd stop being mean to him!"_

"_Indeed I did."_

"_That's not fair! I'm gonna keep being mean to him anyway!"_

"_Knock yourself out."_

"…_well…okay, **really** this time, do you like him?"_

"_Are you going to try to bribe me again?"_

"_No…"_

Nyx chuckled quietly. _"…yeah. I do like him. He's my most important minion; I'd rather have him than all my other underlings combined."_

"_I didn't mean it like **that**!" _Louis snapped angrily. _"I meant do you **love** him!"_

"Ah, here at last!" the girl said happily as they neared Slughorn's office, completely ignoring the basilisk. They could already hear the sounds of a lively party drifting out to welcome them. "For the record, I told Horace all about our little operations, and so he knows you're my second-in-command and so forth. I imagine he'll mention it, so I figured I ought to warn you ahead of time." Nyx said as she turned to EM. "And, I may have mentioned this before but there's no harm in repeating it; Horace is rather fond of luxury, grandeur, and famous people, so don't be surprised if he seems pretty shallow at first. He's really good at heart; you just have to get him to warm up to you to find that out." He chuckled as she pushed the door open to be greeted by a spectacular sight.

_He's really outdone himself this year…_ Nyx thought, smiling. This night would definitely be worth remembering.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Horace just happened to look in the direction of the door as he saw it open, revealing his all-time favorite, Nyx, and a young man he didn't recognize. He recalled her mentioning that she would be joined by one of her 'minions,' or whatever she referred to them as; her second-in-command if his memory wasn't quite gone yet. He had to admit that he was impressed but not surprised with her choice of such a handsome man.

His height was equal to hers (which was secretly why Nyx decided against wearing high heels this evening), and he appeared to be in good physical shape but a bit thin at the same time. The elegant, black dress robes he was wearing contrasted nicely with his pale skin that seemed to have never felt sunlight. The robes also matched his jet-black hair, which didn't seem to have been cut in a while. It wasn't ridiculously long, but his bangs were just barely not hanging in his eyes in the front and lightly brushing his collar in the back. The black, slightly shaggy mess was fairly thick and didn't seem to want to stay neat and tidy for him – a result of EM's usual getup, which Nyx often referred to as "Hood Hair."

Horace watched as the young man's sharp, light blue eyes traveled around the room, looking impressed with the exquisitely decorated room. The professor noted that those were the eyes of an intellectual observer, and a meticulously detail-oriented one at that. He'd seen eyes like that several times before with his favorites, notably one boy who went on to become one of the top-ranking spies for the Ministry. As the young man's head turned the Potions master got a good look at his face, which reminded him of someone he might have seen before. His features were dignified and refined with a slightly elongated nose, which all possessed a sort of beauty to it. As he observed the young man, it dawned on him what family he was probably from. It surprised him, though, that he seemed to feel out of place in the crowded party. He had his arms crossed almost protectively over his chest and didn't appear to want anyone to notice him. Not wasting another moment, Horace bustled over to the door to greet them.

"Ah, Ariana!" he said jovially, watching his words carefully. "Wonderful to have you, just wonderful! And don't you look stunning this evening! Makes me wish I was young again…Here, have a drink." He snatched two glasses of wine off of a tiny house elf's tray as it scampered by his feet, and thrust them into Nyx and EM's hands. The latter's face lit up and he took a long draught of the liquid.

"And why didn't you tell me you were bringing such a good-looking boyfriend?" Horace asked teasingly. EM coughed into his drink.

"I already told you," Nyx replied curtly. "He's not my boyfriend. He's my second-in-command."

"Boyfriend, second-in-command, same thing," the rotund man bantered. "Why don't you introduce me to whatever he is?"

The girl motioned from one to another, saying, "Horace Slughorn, Jack Corbeau. Jack Corbeau, Horace Slughorn." EM shot her a horrified look at the use of his full name, but she ignored it.

"Good to meet you, m'boy!" Horace boomed as he shook his hand enthusiastically. "I'd suspect that's Corbeau as in the last line of wizard nobility in Europe – namely, from France?"

"Yes," he replied as he nodded his head. Jack supposed this was why Nyx emphasized the other man's affinity for important people. "I'm half British, though. Through my mother."

"Ah, _now _I know where I recognize you from! Your parents came here didn't they?" Horace continued, beaming, although his rosy cheeks were probably from the half-empty bottle of mead he held in one hand. Jack nodded again.

Nyx started looking around for anyone else she might know as the two men started chatting about Jack's family history. She'd heard all about it before, and decided she wasn't in the mood to listen to the story of her minion's family roots in a scandal involving one of the ancient French princesses and a rather lecherous wizard disguised as a butler. In a moment she spotted Harry and a blonde girl she assumed he was with. She squeezed through a group of giggling girls and somewhat startled him when she popped out of the crowd right in front of him.

"Oh, hullo, Ariana," he said once he recognized her. "Er, Luna? This is Ariana, the one I told you about."

The blonde girl turned around to gaze at Nyx with her slightly vague blue eyes. "Oh, hello." She said in a distant voice. She immediately recognized her as "Loony" Luna Lovegood, a popular target of many a Slytherin's nastiest remarks. Nyx returned the greeting, and Luna suddenly moved closer to peer at the ruby hanging from her neck, ignoring a warning hiss from Louis.

"That's a blood ruby." She said simply.

"…yeah, it is. How'd you know that?" the other girl asked. No one had ever asked why she wore it or even commented on it until now.

"My father has one, too." She said. "You must be terribly afraid of dementors."

"Er, pardon?" Nyx had a feeling she was going to experience why most everyone seemed to think Luna belonged in St. Mungo's Psycho Ward.

"Dementors hate blood rubies. Yours is pretty big, so you must be trying extra hard to ward them off."

Nyx was quiet for a while, honestly trying very hard not to laugh. "…er, no, this has a different use, at least in my case."

As Harry mentioned something about getting a blood ruby for himself if what Luna said was true, Jack wandered over. "You really shouldn't sneak off on me like that, you know." He said in a hushed voice.

"_Damn, he found us!"_ Louis grumbled. His mummy pinched his tail to shut him up.

"Sorry, I saw someone I knew." Nyx replied with a nod to Harry. Once the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw noticed him, Nyx introduced Jack again, and again he winced a bit at the mention of his real name. A few minutes later when Harry thought he spied Hermione running off, he excused himself and Luna went to get a fresh drink, leaving the pair alone with Louis.

"Why are you using my real name?" Jack demanded quietly.

"I doubt anyone would believe that 'Evil Minion' is your real name, even Luna." She answered truthfully. "Besides, I already told people that my pet _raven_'s name is Evil Minion, so that'll look shifty if it's your name too. If people put the pieces together they might wonder what's going on when they see me wandering off alone with you sitting on my shoulder, and I think you can imagine the kind of rumors people could start."

The other looked defeated. "Still, after tonight don't call me Jack anymore. It's why I decided to go by 'Evil Minion' back then, and I'd prefer it to be kept that way."

"Why are you so fierce about your real name?" Nyx asked with genuine curiosity.

"Because you never know who might hear it." He said quietly. When his master showed no sign of enlightenment, he added, "I'll explain later, when there aren't so many people around." Nyx shrugged and agreed to it, wondering if his reason was similar to hers.

"Evening." A voice behind her said. She turned quickly to come face-to-face with Severus Snape, who looked rather bored as he sipped his drink.

"I was wondering where you were," Nyx said, grinning. "Jack, this is – "

"Severus Snape." He said, smiling knowingly.

"…er, yeah." The girl said, surprised. Snape was staring at him almost suspiciously. "Anyway, this is Jack Corbeau, my second-in-command." She said to the DADA teacher, gesturing to the man beside her.

Snape's face was wiped clean of all suspicion, and instead returned to looking bored. He gave Jack a nod and looked back at Nyx. "So how long are you staying?"

"Oh, a few hours I think." She said airily. "Why?"

"I might be leaving soon. I'm not exactly a party animal, to be quite honest." He said, shifting uncomfortably.

"Oh, come on!" she scolded him. "It won't kill you to have a little fun now and then!"

Snape stared at her.

"Well, if you're going to be like _that_, before you go I want to talk to you about that assignment you gave me yesterday…" Nyx added. "I already read the whole chapter."

"As I said, I'll talk to you about it the day we return." Snape said, trying to make her drop it. He wasn't in the mood to talk about _that_ right now. "I'll let you know what time you should drop by my office in class that day."

"It can't wait, Severus." She said in a quiet, urgent voice. "I'll go insane if I have to wait over a week to discuss this with someone."

Snape eyed her carefully, thinking. "…if you insist. When are you available?"

"Hmm, let's think; Right now."

"Do you honestly want anyone overhearing this?" Snape's black eyes glinted as he waited for her reply.

"…definitely not." She paused to think. "We're leaving tomorrow after lunch, so…How does 10 o'clock sound?"

"Fine." He said, seeming rather proud of himself for exerting even a little bit of control over her. He was soon swept off by an old acquaintance he hadn't realized was there, and the three were once again alone.

"What do you need to talk to him about?" Jack asked, grabbing another glass of wine as it passed.

"I'll tell you about it some other time. It's not a happy story, and this is supposed to be a fun night." His master replied with a strange look in her eyes.

Jack let an annoyed sigh escape him. "What are you hiding _now_?"

"Nothing you'd be better off knowing about." Nyx said softly, fidgeting with the ruby pendant.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The party wore on late into the night, only weakening a bit when all the students had to return to their common rooms at 11. Nyx had hidden herself amongst a group of elderly witches discussing and criticizing the latest fashions so that her fellow students wouldn't notice that she ignored the curfew, and stayed behind with Jack and her basilisk. Horace's famous friends stayed for another hour or so, all of them finally leaving by way of the grand fireplace and Floo powder, all equally satisfied with the evening. Only two others remained in the huge, empty office; the Potions master and the head of Slytherin, who Nyx had to physically drag back into the room when he tried to sneak out earlier.

"I don't see why you're making me stay." Snape muttered, scowling at her.

"Oh, quit pouting." Nyx said light-heartedly. "Now that it's just us the fun's _really_ gonna start!"

"Speak for yourself." Jack murmured from Horace's luxurious, green velvet-covered chaise lounge chair. He was laying on it comfortably, very near dozing off. The large amount of wine he drank was finally starting to take effect on him, and he felt very warm and happy. He was glad that his family had all been experienced wine connoisseurs, so he'd pretty much been brought up drinking it, and now he had quite the stamina and immunity to hangovers.

"I agree with _you_, Nyxie!" Horace cheered drunkenly as he staggered over to her. "Let's get the party started AGAIN!" He threw an arm around her and started swaying back and forth, singing an old drinking song very much off-key.

Jack groaned and pulled a pillow off a nearby chair to cover his ears with. Snape looked like he was ready to Avada Kedavra someone. Louis was finishing off a bowl of cherries on Horace's desk, and paused only to snarl an excessively rude comment about the old man's singing.

After a few more moments of the awful noise, Nyx pointed a finger at Jack, who had his back to her, and said, "_Muffliato_." He fell into a deep, restful sleep almost the moment the noise around him ceased. Scooting out of Horace's reach, she walked over to Snape and thrust a small vial at him, saying, "Drink up and _lighten_ up."

He studied the liquid for a moment before saying quietly, "Elixir to induce euphoria, hm?" He fell silent to ponder the little vial. "I don't want it." He grouched, tossing it back to Nyx rather unceremoniously and turning in his chair so that he wasn't facing her.

The girl tromped back over to him and forced it back into his hand. "Don't make me shove it down your throat, Severus. You _know_ I will if I have to." Reluctantly, Snape did as he was told only because of the image his imagination conjured up of Nyx putting him under the Imperius curse and making him drink it. The potion took effect within seconds, and the DADA teacher was immediately glad she'd bullied him into drinking it; he felt _much_ better, and his headache was gone too.

Somewhat losing her temper with the awful song, Nyx then turned her magic on Horace who suddenly sobered up after she used a nonverbal spell on him. He soon realized what had happened, and apologized for getting out of hand. He got himself a cup of tea after Nyx glared at him when he reached for his mead.

"Much better!" Nyx said with a cheery grin, looking around at her handiwork. "Firstly, I have a question for _you_." She strode over to Snape, who didn't look any more surly than natural anymore, and took a seat in the empty chair next to him. "How did Jack know who you were?"

"He graduated from here 6 years ago." He replied simply. "I would've thought you'd known that."

"No, he never said where he went to school." Nyx muttered, frowning. "I didn't exactly ask, but…I wonder why he didn't tell me…"

"I think I know." Snape said hesitantly. "He might not appreciate my telling you this, but I have a feeling you'll force it out of him eventually." The girl kicked her sandal-like shoes off and pulled her legs up onto the chair comfortably and nodded for him to continue. "I think he didn't want to tell you about his twin sister. I wouldn't blame him, of course…"

"He has a _sister_?" Nyx spat in disbelief. How could he possibly have forgotten to tell her _that_?

"_Twin_ sister, Nyx," he corrected her calmly. "Her name was Annabella, and she was a _genius_ at potions. She did exceptionally well in _all_ of her classes, actually. Annabella was very beautiful, so Jack over there always hated it when boys would flirt with her, and that was all but daily – typical protective brother. Just about everyone liked her; even _I_ was nice to her, and as you well know by now that's not a terribly common occurrence." Snape smirked in spite of himself.

"Why do you keep using the past tense?" Nyx interrupted, dreading the answer she knew she was bound to get.

"She's dead." Snape said simply, although he _did_ look very sorry about it. "She died shortly after she graduated; it was all over the news. After they investigated, the Ministry concluded that Annabella was killed by at least one Death Eater, because when they found her they saw that someone had carved the Dark Mark into her wrist with a knife or some other crude weapon before they killed her with the Avada Kedavra. They guessed that she'd been tortured for a while before her death, but there was no way to know for certain."

"That's horrible…" she said quietly, throwing a pitying glance at her sleeping minion on the chaise.

"It gets worse. When they rounded up all the Death Eaters last year after that big Ministry break-in, a few confirmed that she was killed because she refused to become a servant of the Dark Lord for when he came back to power. They all denied being there to witness it, and they said they didn't know exactly who it was that killed her, but they said there was a good chance that whoever killed her knew her. Around the middle of the school year, Annabella started dating a young man named Alex Fiennes, who didn't attend Hogwarts, and he disappeared right around the time she was murdered. The Death Eaters were questioned, but they had never heard of an 'Alex Fiennes,' even with a good amount of Veritaserum in them. No one's been able to find him dead or alive since then."

"So…" Nyx said slowly. "Everyone thinks this Alex Fiennes killed Annabella?"

"Not everyone." Snape continued. "For example, the Death Eaters know it was one of their own. _They_ confirmed it."

"What's he think?" the girl asked softly, with a nod to Jack.

"He's convinced it was Fiennes, but he also thinks he took some kind of permanent polyjuice potion and changed his name, and that's why no one can find him." The head of Slytherin continued. "However, no such thing exists. It would be exceedingly difficult to change one's appearance permanently so that even the Ministry couldn't identify you. Such an act would require very Dark magic, which leads us back to the idea that Fiennes was indeed a Death Eater, and that perhaps 'Alex Fiennes' was a name he went by just for Annabella."

Nyx now looked quite depressed. "Poor girl…" she said, looking back at the girl's brother sadly. _No wonder he was in such a state when I met him…Must've been only a few months after it…_

"I'm sorry I never met her," Horace said as he crossed the room towards them. "She would've gone far in life, it sounds…"

Nyx rolled her eyes and restrained herself from saying anything in reply to that, knowing that none of it could've been polite. "I suspect she was a Ravenclaw since you seem to praise her for her brains most," she commented to Snape.

He nodded. "It was surprising that they weren't in the same house, though." He replied, glancing back at the sleeping young man.

"Really?" Nyx blurted again. She was starting to understand how Jack felt when she kept so many secrets from him… "I would've believed he was a Ravenclaw in a second."

"No, he was in my house." Snape said, with the hint of a proud smile. "I suspect it was because the Sorting Hat sensed his desire for power in order to protect his sister."

The girl looked back at her minion who was now hugging a pillow, still deep in sleep. "He never seemed like a Slytherin to me…" she said quietly as a crease formed between her slender eyebrows.

Horace chuckled. "Can't argue with you there. You _are_ the authority, after all."

Nyx grinned knowingly and said, "From a certain perspective, I suppose so. Then again, that's what the silly hat's for, right?"

"Yes, and I personally think it's also because Salazar Slytherin didn't trust any of his descendants, or anyone else for that matter, to choose in his stead." Snape said with a sly smirk.

"_What about Salazar Slytherin?"_ Louis piped up from the bottom of the cherry bowl.

"_Nothing. Have a nap or something, we're talking." _Nyx said, waving him away with a pale hand. He slumped back down a bit dejectedly and did as she suggested.

"That reminds me…" Horace said, a childlike grin creeping onto his plump face. He exited his chair and waddled over to a large, old bookcase with ornately carved leaf-like decorations accenting the shelves. He glanced around for a moment, decided on a row of old, tattered books, and began searching for a particular title. His eyes followed a pudgy, pointed finger as he read through the spines quickly, until finally, "Aha! Found it!"

Horace gently pulled out an ancient, dragonhide-bound photo album and dusted it off with the corner of his velvet smoking jacket. Nyx noted that the book must have been of immense importance to him for him to dust it off with one of his precious jackets. He carried it back to the other Slytherins, smiling giddily.

"You're in for quite the treat, you are…" he chuckled as he conjured a small table at the center of the triangle made by the three chairs. Horace set the album onto its surface and opened it carefully. The first parchment-like page read in intricate cursive "_Slug Club, Classes of 1938 – 1980._"

"This is my personal record of all my Slug Club students from a few years into my teaching career up until I retired in eight-oh." Horace said proudly. "There's mostly photographs, but there's some other dross in there too." He chuckled to himself again and sipped his tea, looking quite pleased with himself. Nyx and Snape stared at the book, excitement already present on the girl's face.

Nyx immediately flipped the book open to somewhere near the end, and with an entirely coincidental stroke of luck, straight to the Slug Club of '75 – '76. She scooted closer to the table and started studying the pictures, seemingly about to burst with anticipation. Snape tried to see what she was looking for when he saw the years at the top of the page, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"I found you! I found you!" the girl suddenly squealed, laughing giddily – a very rare occurrence with Nyx, but certainly not impossible. She lifted the old book up for Snape to see and pointed at a picture of a group of 15 to 18-year-old Slytherin boys loitering around in the very same office they were in presently. One distinctly pale, skinny boy with long, limp, greasy-looking hair stood near the back, looking like he was proud of his place in the Club but not very keen on having his picture taken. He looked out of the picture at Nyx for a moment, and then scooted behind another boy a bit, glaring at her suspiciously. "Aww, lookit 'im!" she cooed, still laughing almost hysterically.

As Snape stared at the picture his expression slowly morphed into one of disgust and disbelief. "Oh, _god_, I look awful in that picture…" he whispered in horror. He looked around the book at Horace, still sipping his tea with a wide smile. "Why do you _keep_ things like this?"

"Blackmail, probably," Nyx laughed. Present-day Snape and 5th-year Snape glowered at her. "All right, I'm joking." She said. She watched the boy in the photograph for a few seconds more, before adding with another giggle, "Aw, you were so cute when you were little."

The young Slytherin in the picture raised an eyebrow at her and said, "Sixteen's not exactly 'little,' you know."

"Have we met yet?" Nyx asked, seemingly getting off-topic.

"Yeah, a week or so ago." The young Snape replied, leaning casually on a small table. A few of the other boys had wandered off, and the rest looked only mildly interested in the conversation.

"Okay, then you know why I consider 16 'little.'" She said with a cheery grin. The boy pondered this for a moment, then nodded as if to say, "Yeah, I guess so." Nyx looked back at the much older Snape seated beside her, who was still giving her a rather contemptuous look. She blinked once, then narrowed her eyes as she looked at him more closely. Snape scooted back a bit when she leaned forward, looking a bit worried.

"What in the world are you doing?" he demanded.

Nyx suddenly broke into a mischievous smile and said, "You're _bluuushiiiiing_."

"_No I'm not._"

"Yes you _aaaaare_!" She reached forward and pinched one of his pale cheeks, snickering maniacally.

Snape swatted her hand away without a word and snatched the photo album from her hands. He started flipping through the pages with a bit more force than necessary as he said snappishly, "Right. _Your_ turn to be harassed. '44 to '45, right?"

The girl laughed quietly and nodded. Horace was quite content to watch them from his plush seat and so remained quiet. But he wasn't sure if he was glad they were moving on to _that_ picture next.

Snape turned one final page until he saw the heading of "1944 – 1945." He wasted no time in locating his student/'friend,' and spotted her almost immediately. However, he certainly didn't look at all triumphant as she had a minute before. Instead, he looked downright defeated.

Nyx stood up and walked around the back of the ex-Potions master's chair to see the page for herself. Her eyes immediately locked on to a square picture at the center of the page. A wistful smile curved her deep, red lips as she said quietly, "I remember that picture. I have a copy of it back home."

"I would assume _he_ has one as well," Snape muttered, still gazing at the picture.

After hesitating a moment, the girl asked him, "What, you're not going to make fun of it?"

The man laughed humorlessly. "Of course not. If I'd known _he'd_ be in the same picture I wouldn't have bothered."

"Oh, right. That _would_ be a bad idea for you, wouldn't it?" Nyx said, the smile fading from her lips. As she watched the figures moving in the picture, her mind was taken back to 52 years prior to that very night… "It's hard for me to believe how long it's been since that was taken." She said quietly.

Snape sighed. "Not me. You were out of it for around 30 years or so, so to you it's like it never happened."

"Yeah…" she said, starting to look very depressive.

"Shame that had to happen, Nyx." Horace said sadly, rising from his chair. "I know if you had been there the world would be a _lot_ different now, I assure you. And I'm one of the people who knows what he's talking about, too!" He tried to laugh, but it only seemed to dig her deeper into the dark pit that was her memory of those years.

"How so?" Snape asked, trying to get her out of her own head for even a few moments.

Horace shifted a bit as he started uncertainly, "Well, for one thing, You-Know-Who wouldn't be trying to take over the world." He paused to throw a glance to Nyx, who seemed to at least hear him. "…he'd have already done it."

Nyx twitched almost imperceptibly. "…bet he'd be truly immortal, too…"

The other two said nothing for a while after realizing they had only made it worse for her and themselves. They hated hearing her talk like that, if nothing else because they knew she was absolutely right. They weren't guesses; they were _facts_.

"…it was good while it lasted, though, wasn't it? For both of you, I mean," Horace said gently. "Neither of you have been the same ever since, and unless certain things change, you won't ever be happy again, I don't think."

"I firmly believe that I lost the ability to be 'happy' that summer…" Nyx said quietly. "…when I lost my heart."

Snape watched her face carefully. She was starting to look more like her age now that she was thinking about the past… That had always happened to her ever since he met her that day, and only when she returned to her memories. For a fleeting moment, he thought her hair had become peppery-gray and her skin and wrinkled with age, and her slender arms had withered to skin and bones and worn out muscles. The illusion vanished when Nyx suddenly laughed bitterly and wiped something from her eye.

"It's getting late. If I get caught out of bed, I won't be the only one in trouble." She said, trying to smile. Neither of the others said anything as they watched her slowly slip her shoes back on and walk towards Jack. Just as she made to lift the sound barrier over him, Snape spoke.

"…just a minion, then, hmm?"

"Pardon?" Nyx asked, honestly confused.

He nodded to the man curled up on the chaise, smirking. "He's not secretly your new lover or something, is he?"

"Of course not." She said immediately. Then, with a playful grin added, "He's _much_ too young. You know I only go for older men."

Horace tidied up his jacket, straightened his little hat and neatened his moustache. "Did you say something, Nyx?"

"Ha ha ha." She said, smiling. "My deepest regrets, Horace, but it would never work. It'd make for quite the scandal though; but, of course, everyone would think I'm only in it for the grades."

The potbellied man laughed heartily, and Snape couldn't hold in a chuckle either. "Well, yes, people's minds tend to work like that." The Potions master said with a hint of regret. "Besides, I believe you were referring to gentlemen not _quite_ as old as myself."

Snape tidied up his black robes, sat up a bit straighter and propped his chin up with his hand, staring at Nyx almost curiously. "Sorry, what was that?"

The girl doubled over, shaking as she leaned against Horace's desk, before taking in a gasp of air and suddenly shrieking with laughter. It took her a few moments to calm down, and once she did she looked straight at Snape. "You _wish_!"

He snorted in disapproval and turned away from her snootily and declared in a voice to match, "Good. Don't care much for _you_, either." But in a moment, he looked back at her out of the corner of his eye and started laughing with her.

Horace joined in as well, his spirits lightened by two of his Top 20 favorite students. He found it a bit odd that Snape never acted like this unless he was in Nyx's presence, and wondered if there was something he was missing between the two of them…

"Sorry, no," Nyx added as she regained her breath after that rousing laugh. "As I said, I have no interest in educators. Plus I'd never be able to see you as anything more than a friend after all that happened when we first met." She started sniggering as she remembered a particularly vivid incident.

"You still remember _that_?" he asked in amazed disgust. He certainly didn't need to ask if they were thinking the same thing.

"You _don't_?" Nyx said, on the verge of poking fun at him again.

"Of _course_ I do! It was the second most embarrassing day of my life!" he spat as he rose from his seat.

"What was the first?" Horace asked, refilling his tea.

"The day I met _her_." He replied with an inconsiderate jab of the thumb to Nyx. However, she didn't seem offended in the least bit.

"Oh, _right_," she said, remembering the day quite well. "That was the day that obnoxious Potter kid humiliated you."

"Yes," Snape said, seemingly restraining himself from adding on to it. Before anyone changed the subject, he leaned to the side to look past Nyx at her underling, still sound asleep on the green chaise. He had turned himself over so that he was facing the small group, showing that he was still hugging the pillow almost affectionately with a peaceful smile on his lips. The girl repositioned herself to see what Snape was looking at, and startled the other two when she suddenly staggered back and hit the desk. The head of Slytherin stepped forward, alarmed and touched her lightly on the arm.

"What is it?" he asked as Horace poured a glass of ice water for her. She looked like she'd just witnessed her own death, and had started shivering and breathing strangely. Nyx stared at Jack with wide, fearful eyes.

_D-did I just see…K…Ka…? _She was unable to finish the thought due to the shock of the vision. When the walrus-mustached man tried to give her the cold liquid, she refused it. "…n-no, I'm fine. J-just thought I saw something…" she said, sounding like she was going to faint. She took a deep, calming breath and straightened herself up gracefully. "…I'm fine." She repeated clearly when the other Slytherins still looked worried.

"What happened?" Horace asked, dismissing the glass of water with a wave of his wand. "You looked like you'd seen a ghost…"

"I…I did." She said quietly. "I thought I saw someone I haven't seen since I was 18 years old…"

Snape's eyes widened in surprise. "Who?"

Nyx debated for a moment, and then shook her head. "No, I won't go into that right now. It'll ruin my good mood." She said with a wistful smile.

"You mean you left something out when you told us your past?" Horace asked, sounding a bit hurt.

"It's nothing meaningful to the present, I assure you." she said almost curtly with a wave of her pale hand. "And it's a subject I'd like to avoid at all costs…"

"What, worse than what we already know?" Snape asked disbelievingly. "I didn't know such a thing existed." Nyx gave him a look that he instantly recognized as the 'drop it or I drop you down a flight of stairs' look, and he took the hint.

Nyx glanced at a small, ornate golden clock set on Horace's desk. It was nearly 12:30. "_Merlin_, I need to go _now_," she said in alarm. The longer she stayed out, the more trouble she'd be in if someone caught her. There was a chance she could get out of it if her apprehender took her to Snape, but if they took the matter into their own hands it would be a detention. "Oi, you! Get up!" she snapped at Jack, standing only a foot or two away.

He slept on, still smiling in his sleep as he clutched the pillow. Nyx sighed and watched him breathe for a few moments. She looked back at the other two men and said with unconcealed jealousy, "It's times like these that I _really_ wish I was a Ragshiel like him. I'd _kill_ to know what he's dreaming about to make him grin like that."

"_He's_ a Ragshiel?" Horace blurted, a hungry look appearing in his eyes. The dream-seeing gift was not at all common and impossible to learn, and the man had never met a person blessed with it before.

"Yeah, I found out when he started chatting with me about a bizarre dream I had the night before. I was pretty surprised." Nyx said distractedly as she lifted the silencing charm placed on her minion, feeling like a dolt. "Good morning, sunshine!" she hollered into Jack's ear.

He cringed and turned his back to her. Nyx could barely hear him murmur through the pillow now covering his head, "…five more minutes…"

She sighed in frustration. Nyx looked around to something to help her get him up with, and her eyes landed on another throw pillow on another chair. She snatched it up and thumped her minion with it repeatedly as she snapped, "Get – up – you – damn – lazy – drunk!" He groaned in his sleep and lifted an arm to swat the pillow away lazily as if it were a bothersome fly. As Horace and Snape watched with increasing amusement, Nyx grit her teeth and stomped over to the side where Jack's face was. She yanked the end of the pillow up out of his hand so that she could see his face and yelled, "This is your 12:31 alarm call! Get your ass outta bed!"

He thrust his now free hand out to push her away, and in doing so accidentally placed his palm on Nyx's chest quite inappropriately. He turned over again as if nothing happened while Nyx stared at the back of his head blankly with flushed cheeks and the two professors roared with laughter in the background. _Did – he – just – **GAAH!**_

"…**_right!_**" she snarled, crouching down in a rather unladylike way and placing her hands underneath the seat of the chaise. With less effort than one would expect, she lifted her side of it up and sent Jack rolling to the floor. To her sincere bewilderment, he did not wake up. She let the piece of furniture drop to the floor with a loud thud and hopped over it to the black-clad man sprawled across the floor. Nyx grabbed the pillow he was still grasping and started beating him over the head with it, quite irritated by now.

Jack made a few half-asleep protests and weak attempts at shooing her away before she finally lost it and dragged him to his feet and forcing him to stand on his own. Horace was waiting patiently nearby with a glass of water in his hand. Nyx grabbed it and splashed her minion in the face, immediately waking him.

"_Aaargh!_ I'm _drowning_!" was his initial reaction to the water, but he soon realized that he was safely on land when he noticed his master and the other two in hysterics. "…oh. Sorry, did I doze off?"

Through tears of mirth, Nyx told him not to worry about it. "It was worth it to hear you think you were drowning." She snickered. He gave her a look and yawned hugely as he tried to get the water out of his hair. His efforts only made the black mess stand up in the strangest way, sending Nyx into peals of laughter again.

"Er, don't mean to ruin your fun, but I really think you ought to be heading back now." Horace warned the girl as she plucked Louis out of the empty cherry bowl. "I don't need to get yelled at for keeping you out past curfew, Nyx."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm leaving," she said, leading Jack to the door before he 'accidentally' fell back onto the exquisitely comfy chaise. "I'll see you tomorrow at 10," she added with a nod to Snape, who muttered his 'goodbye' in return.

As they listened to the footsteps fade away into the hall, Horace and Snape each gave a contented sigh. It had certainly been an interesting night. The head of Slytherin wandered back to his chair to finish his drink and passed the photo album on the way. He looked back at the square photo and said wistfully, "She's quite a woman."

"Mmm, yes." The other replied, pouring himself a nightcap. "Sort of humbling, being around her, isn't it?"

Snape murmured an agreement as he gazed at the three figures in the picture. "Almost sorry I wasn't around when this was taken. Would've been interesting to see what she was like before she really caught up with the world."

"You didn't miss much. She just didn't act like she's god, like she does now," Horace chuckled. "He did a fair job informing her of what had happened since her time, apparently. Quite the mind, he had…Still has it, of course, but somehow it doesn't feel right saying so …"

"Yes," the black-haired man said quietly. "He _is_ brilliant…"

He closed the book gingerly, but not before getting a last look at the photo. The young lady he recognized as Nyx, wearing a beautifully flattering dress, stood beside Horace Slughorn with her arm resting on his shoulder as if he were a piece of furniture. He looked far from offended, though, and instead gazed proudly at the pair of students to his left. On Nyx's other side stood a tall, dark haired, handsome young man wearing black dress robes similar to Jack's, who Snape could not have identified without Horace's help. The 7th-year rested his arm on Nyx's shoulder like she had done to their potions professor, posing the trio in an almost comical way. The young man had a quiet smile on his thin lips as Nyx grinned proudly and Horace beamed drunkenly.

Beneath the old photograph was written in the elegant, flowing cursive, "_December 24th, 1944_."

-----------------------------------------------------------------

"Oh, shut up, we've got one more flight of stairs to go down."

"…but I'm **_tired_**."

A resounding 'thunk' echoed against the stone walls after Nyx's blow landed on Jack's head.

"…you didn't have to hit me…" he muttered, testing his skull for a lump.

"Whatever'll keep you awake until we get to the damn dormitory." The girl snapped. Within moments they reached the Slytherin common room and began heading up the steps to the girl's quarters. Jack morphed into his animagus form and fluttered up to his master's shoulder and lighted on Louis' tail. The basilisk couldn't protest because of the stomachache those cherries had given him. The raven swooped in as soon as Nyx opened the heavy wooden door enough and changed back into his humanoid self as he landed. The girl shut the door quietly behind her and turned to look at her welcoming four-poster bed…to see Jack already curled up under the covers.

With a quiet hiss of air, she took a deep breath to restrain herself from throwing him out the window. Instead, she crept over to the side he was facing and knelt down to glare at him from eye-level. Sensing her, Jack cracked an eye open, looked suddenly alarmed, and turned over as he muttered something about 'I never get to sleep in a bed anymore.' Nyx stood up to her full height and pondered the situation for a minute or two. Surprisingly to Jack, she didn't physically kick him out. On the contrary, she calmly placed Louis in his little 'bed' and took her pajamas out of her trunk at the foot of the four-poster without so much as a word. With a wave of her hand, the curtains around the bed slid shut noiselessly, and she changed her clothes. Jack propped himself up on an elbow to try to detect if she was fuming and if he should prepare to defend himself.

Nyx pulled the curtains back into their original positions just as her minion lay back down. He braced himself for the rough boot off the bed he knew was coming…but never did. All he felt was his master's hand pushing him over near the edge rather gently as the blankets were lifted up from the same direction. To his utter shock, he felt the warmth of another person crawl under the covers and turn her back to his. Now quite nervous, Jack turned over a bit to make sure what he was thinking was real, and it was.

"…er, Lord Psycho?" he asked. "Are, uh…are we staying like this all night?"

"Sure, why not." She said in an exhausted voice. "I'm tired of fighting with you."

Jack felt a pang of guilt. He remembered once again the question he'd asked himself not terribly long ago: "_Why do I always make her mad?_" He was silent for a little while, unable to help but simply enjoy the rare chance to be so close to her. "…sorry for being such a pain in the ass tonight."

"Don't worry about it," she said softly.

He could tell she just wanted to get some sleep, but he had to speak. "…I'll get out if you want, you know…"

"I don't care. We both fit, don't we?" she muttered.

"W-well…I mean, aren't you worried about me…um…if I…"

"…grope me in your sleep?"

"…um, yeah. Or something like it."

"…no."

"_What?_ You must be _joking_! I know you trust me well enough, but even _I'll_ admit that we men can't always control ourselve – uh…I-I mean…"

Nyx chuckled from the other half of the bed. "I think because you know what will happen to you if you try anything shifty, you'll be able to control yourself for one night."

Jack stared at her curiously before flopping back onto the soft mattress and murmuring, "…not to mention this is the first time I've ever slept in the same bed as a woman that wasn't related to me…"

"_Sure_ it is." She snickered.

"Really? And how, pray tell, do _you_ know so much about my private life?"

"I know you're 24, and I know _that's_ bullshit."

"Oh, please. I've been hanging around with you for the past 6 years, and I haven't had the opportunity to fool around with anyone, let alone have a girlfriend…never had one of them to begin with, actually…"

"Oh? And why's that?"

"…I have high expectations, and so far I've only met one person who's met at least half of them."

"And who might that be?"

"No one I could _ever_ hope to hook up with. Trust me…it would be very…_awkward_."

Nyx shrugged said nothing more. She was starting to really feel tired, and soon let herself slip into unconsciousness, but not before wondering who Jack was talking about. _It can wait till morning… _she decided.

Jack peered over at her after she fell silent and wasn't at all surprised to find her asleep. He laid his head back on the pillow and thought for a little while. He quietly changed back into his raven form and hopped onto the pillow next to his master's head, trying not to get his claws tangled in her pitch black hair. He curled up with his head resting on hers affectionately and closed his eyes.

"Pleasant dreams, Nyx…"

--- to be continued in Chapter 10 : Curses ---

* * *

**Disclaimer: **Own not, profit not, sue not. (Except for Nyx, Jack and Louis.)

**A/N:** ...okay. I lied last chapter. I said you'd get to find outall about EM's past and whatnot, and I only ended up writing about half of it here for length reasons. You'll get to read the rest in the next chapter, I **_SWEAR_**. (Please don't stone meeee...) And, once again, taking liberties with the details in room descriptions, but as I said before you should already know what Sluggy's office looks like at the Christmas party. It's quite fabulous, really. And sorry about the length, but if I had cut any more out of this one it would've been...crap. (At least to me..)

**General Notes: **Description of Evil Minion/Jack without the headwrap and hood ensemble _-equals- _the author's vision of an **_EXTREMELY_** hot guy. You not liking it _-equals_- **TOUGH**. You liking it _-equals-_Yay! -gives you cookies-

Just as an interesting fact, 20 sickles is $5.67 and 50 galleons is $241, American currency. Nyx is rich and likes spoiling her underlings. Indeed.

**Final Words:** Next chapter will include "Sang Maudit Syndrome 101," the chapter followingit willreveal"TheTop Ten Reasons Everyone Should Feel Sorry For Schlange," and the chapter after that one will have"How Far Can Arthur Weasley Look Into Secret Ministry Information Without Getting Fired?" ...or something to that effect. -heh-

I also now have a SheezyArt account (the link to which is on my profile page), so you should go check it out because I already did a portrait of Jack/EM, whichI am VERY proud of, and I hope you will find interesting. More art will be posted there as I make it,but I won't make any promises as to when that'll be, but I wil be sure to let you know either in this section of new chapters or on my profile page, so check that every now and then, too. Cheers.

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

--- **k**avi-**s**ama ---

* * *

**Kavi's Random Fangirl Moment:** OMFG. GO BUY GODCHILD BY KAORI YUKI _RIGHT NOW_. SERIOUSLY, **_RIGHT NOW_**. -huggles Cain- Miiiiiiiiiinnnnneeeeee... 


	10. Chapter 10: Curses

_(This chapter was redone on Sept. 16, 2006. For everyone who read this chapter before then, the important things to reread are in the first half of the chapter, before Evil Minion comes back into the action. You don't need to read the whole thing if you don't want, but AceGray does because I changed Annabella's middle name. -grin- - **k**avi)_

Chapter 10 – Curses

Severus Snape heard the door to his dank, dark dungeon office swing open on creaky hinges and a single set of footsteps enter the room. He glanced up from the paperwork strewn about his desk at the owner of the footsteps, and then at the clock on his desk.

"You're not late." He said with a hint of surprise.

"Of course I'm not late," Nyx replied a bit indignantly as she closed and locked the door behind her. She cast a soundproofing charm on the door for her own sake. "Class is one thing; _this_ is another."

"You don't take my class seriously?" Snape asked, smirking.

"Not if it's being taught by _you_." the girl in the long, black coat and jeans that looked just a bit too big said as she recalled a particularly scarring incident with the other from many years ago, which involved the Prefect's bathroom, a towel that was not there, and someone who should _not_ have turned around. She walked up to the desk as Snape gestured to a chair already set up for her. She sat down and removed a familiar book from an inside coat pocket; Dangerous Diseases, Sinister Syndromes, Putrid Plagues and Irksome Illnesses.

"Did you sleep well?" the ex-Potions master asked conversationally, beginning to put away his papers.

"Well enough." She said, brushing an unwanted strand of black hair out of her eyes. "Jack and I ended up sleeping together."

Snape's hands abruptly stopped shuffling through papers. His dark eyes stared at her from beneath raised eyebrows as he asked, "Have you ever heard the phrase 'too much information,' Nyx?"

"Not like _that_!" she yelped, turning pink.

"What other way could you _possibly_ mean?" he asked again, sounding more than a bit alarmed, and clearly disgusted at the thought.

"The _not perverted_ way, you _git_." Nyx snapped. "He seemed to want to sleep in a bed for a change and mine was the only one available, and _I_ certainly didn't want to sleep on the floor, so…we slept in the same bed…and _nothing happened_…" She put extra emphasis on the last words because of the look the infernal man was giving her.

He shrugged uncomfortably and muttered, "Do whatever you like, as far as I'm concerned, just as long as no one catches you…that's the _last_ thing I want to have to give you detention for…"

Nyx picked up the book from her lap and 'placed' it on the desk with a loud slam. "Where shall we begin with this, Severus?" she asked through a _very_ forced smile.

He took the not-too-subtle hint and opened the book to Chapter 13. He directed her eyes to the large illustration on page 210 as he said, "I'm sure you recognize this."

Nyx didn't need to look. She'd already studied every part of the millennium-old painting, and knew it by heart. The scene was not a pretty one, despite the rather peaceful castle and forest in the background. A frightening beast stood on four legs at the center, looking like nature's reject. It had a head as long as a person, and a neck that was four times that length, and a tail that was just a bit longer. The long neck and tail gave it the slight impression of some kind of dinosaur, especially because of its sickle-like claw on each back foot.

The head was dragonish, but without horns and with two very long ears. These tapered off until they became points and were usually turned backwards so that the opening to the inner ear could not be seen, making them appear to be flexible horns to those who didn't know better. The ears and tail had something in common that made the beast look very peculiar; thick, sideways black and white stripes covering them. These stood out from the regular skin, which was dark gray, hairless and very smooth.

The only fur found on the creature was in the form of a wild black mane, beginning at the crown of the skull and trailing down the back of the neck to the shoulders. Just beyond where the fur ended, two skeletal wings sprang out of the creature's back, with a bony growth of spines where they connected with its skin. A thin, transparent membrane stretched between the long, finger-like bones, but they were unfit for flying nonetheless. The wings weren't nearly large enough to support the beast's great weight, so they were decidedly only for decoration, or perhaps a nice little breeze on a hot day.

From where the wings protruded out of the back to the creature's rump, the spine stuck up under the skin, making a ridge that discouraged anyone from trying to hop on for a ride. At the base of the tail, the bones began to burst out of the skin like spines, and did so most of the way down the tail. These could be decorative, like the wings, if only people hadn't been gored when the creature swung its tail at them.

Another feature on the beast that seemed fairly harmless was its pointed tongue, a sort of pale blue-gray with a tinge of violet. In the ancient painting, it simply appeared rather long and flexible, like a giraffe's. In reality, that was like saying Voldemort was a bit of a bully and didn't really care for Muggle-borns. This creature's tongue was possibly the most powerful muscle in its body, able to stretch out even longer than it's head, and flexible like an octopus's tentacle; many people had found themselves wrapped in the slimy thing, squeezed until their bones broke, yanked up into it's mouth and sucked down it's throat whole. When not being used to eat things, the tongue had a mind of its own, and was usually found flopping out of a side of the beast's mouth. The fact that the creature drooled excessively and the way its tongue was usually in plain sight made it look like an overgrown, dimwitted dog.

That, of course, wasn't counting the rest of its face. Aside from the tongue, its mouth was filled with pointed teeth of seemingly every shape and size, tossed into its jaws at random. The perfect order that existed in another predator's mouth was vague at best here. The one thing all the teeth had in common was their frightening prowess at biting through anything with admirable speed and success. Anyone who'd ever come face-to-face with one of these creatures knew what the teeth looked like because scarcely a moment passed when they weren't being shown off. It wasn't nicknamed the "Grinning Demon" for nothing. The cruelly pleased smile didn't lessen the disturbing effect of its wide, round eyes. They seemed to stare through the whole world without ever seeing anything, blank white and glowing eerily as they never stopped to blink.

As if it's freakish and scary appearance weren't enough, there were other horrid things about a Grinning Demon that could never be fully understood from reading a book. The creatures breathed in deep, slow breaths, and every exhale sounded like it's death rattle. Anyone who knew anything knew better than to go within a mile of it's mouth, not only because of the risk of being eaten alive, but because it's breath was rank with the stench of rotting corpses.

It made a cry unlike any other living thing, and far more terrible than any other at that. It was screechy and bird-like, but within that sound there was another that made any listener's blood turn to ice; a clearly human scream. It wasn't a scream of fear, or pain, or sorrow, or joy, or even to get anyone's attention. "Screaming because it sounds fun and I have nothing better to do" would be the most accurate description. That startled everyone who heard it because they always forgot that the terrifying and unorthodox beast making the sound was really a human being inside.

In this particular depiction, which had been lovingly inked and painted on a large sheet of parchment, the Grinning Demon had been up to no good. Brilliant red blood dripped from its mismatched fangs, a consequence of the pair of corpses lying on the grass at its feet. One young man had been gored and died trying to keep his stomach inside of him, and the other young man had been bitten in half. A large bloodstain nearby suggested that there was a third victim, but one could only suppose where the body was. Four living, breathing individuals surrounded the Demon with wands held aloft; two witches and two wizards, in dazzling gold, indigo, crimson, and emerald robes, respectively. Their faces couldn't be properly seen, but anyone could assume that they were not looking at the creature kindly.

"I don't recognize it, but I know what it is," Nyx said. "I hadn't seen it before you gave me the book."

"That's no surprise. It was discovered only a few years before this book was published, and since no one really wanted to blab about it in the papers, it remained mostly unknown," Snape said. "It's supposedly an illustration of the first recorded case of Sang Maudit Syndrome – 'SMS' for short – in the world. Obviously no one can say whether that's true or not because the painting and the story are both a thousand years old, and everyone knows there's no one who can say, 'oh sure, I was there, I saw the whole thing.'"

"Right," Nyx murmured with the ghost of a smile.

"Three people were supposed to have been killed or eaten by the SM in question, but no one knows who exactly the three people were, so no one can check when they died. All that's known about the whole thing is that it started when a young prankster switched this girl's" – he tapped his finger on the Grinning Demon in the book – "Wolfsbane potion with blood. The girl didn't have her blood ruby on at the time, so when she drank the blood she lost all control and tried to kill the first living thing she saw –"

"Which, ironically, was the kid who gave her the blood in the first place," Nyx said, smirking.

"Right. He gets chased outside and, as if things weren't bad enough, the full moon has just risen. The girl sees it, transforms into the beastie, and has herself an extra dessert. As this is happening, this poor sod" – Snape tapped the young man who'd been gored – "shows up and tries to save the first victim and gets disemboweled. No one's sure whether it was a tail bone or one of the back claws that did it." He glanced up at the girl before him.

"I would say claw," she said thoughtfully.

"I thought so, too. It would be easier to kick than twist the tail over so the bones were facing the target," Snape replied as carelessly as if he were commenting on a Quidditch maneuver. "Anyway, these four survivors and the third victim" – the tapped the two halves of a person –" showed up just in time to figure out what was going on. There's a rumor that the last one was trying to persuade the others not to attack the girl because she didn't know what she was doing, and he wanted to try to subdue her without using force, when he was bitten in half from behind."

Snape paused. "All hell broke loose after that. These four started firing curses off like there was no tomorrow, and suddenly it all stopped when the girl was hit with a killing curse. She didn't die, but she was knocked unconscious for a while and turned back into a human form almost as soon as the spell hit.

"Interestingly, three days later this girl vanished into thin air and was never seen or heard from again. Most would assume her to be dead, but there aren't any records to support or dispute it," Snape finished with a strange glint in his eye.

"Even more interesting that they omitted all significant details regarding who she might have been, her supposed age, and even a guess at where this took place," Nyx said coolly.

"I would like to think that if they knew, they would have put it in here somewhere," her friend replied.

"So would I," she said simply. "It's also interesting that they don't give a source for all this information." Nyx frowned as she flipped through the pages of Chapter 13. "'Causes, Weaknesses, Insanity Decline, Transformation, Safeguards, Common Signs of SMS'…No one person could figure all this out in their own lifetime."

"There used to be a secret organization devoted to the study of SMS, which was very strongly supported by the Ministry," Snape said. "It began around 500 years ago but was disbanded shortly after this book was published in 1981 because of inquiring minds like yours. Cornelius Fudge had no choice but to release information on the organization's actions, which sent the public into an uproar. They did all sorts of testing on humans, from forcing them to contract SMS to testing different methods of killing to see if any of them actually worked. By 'making' SMs they were able to experiment and learn everything about it that they know today."

"That's horrid, unethical and I wonder who's brilliant idea it was to start it," Nyx said, making a face. "What happened to the victims after they were disbanded?"

Snape leaned back in his chair and sighed. "They were supposed to have all died a natural death, but considering the nature of the disease that's very unlikely. There are only two known ways to kill an SM; leave them alone or use the White Spell –"

"Which no one knows how to perform or what it does," she interrupted, rolling her eyes.

"Correct. Leaving them alone would allow them to progress towards their natural death, if you can even call it that. All SMs go insane eventually, for whatever reason, and when that happens they enter the Insanity Decline. Torture was found to speed up the onset of insanity, and the Cruciatus Curse seemed to work best out of anything. It's difficult to tell when an SM 'officially' goes insane because they don't behave like a normal human would if they lost their mind. They're rarely loud, violent, and they tend to make perfect sense almost up to the very end. More often than not, when it's decided that an SM has gone insane, it's far too late to do anything about it.

"Up until the Decline stage begins, they're totally impervious to any damaging spell or anything that would normally cause harm to someone, and therefore they're basically immortal. As they progress through the Decline, their sanity leaves them for good and their mortality returns little by little. By the last stages of it, they're able to sustain lasting damage, and right at the end it's possible to kill them. That's only if you can get a shot in before they kill themselves in some unpleasantly unusual way, of course.

"Some SMs, however, gain more than the usual boost of power that all SMs gain once they've lost it. There were rumors and heavily-censored reports of "advanced" SMs that went through ridiculously long Insanity Declines – which typically last no more than 25 to 30 years at the very maximum – and gained abilities and power that no one else could ever hope to. Some were supposed to able to perform large-scale bodily regeneration –"

"Whereas normal SMs can only heal mild wounds and grow back a limb or two," the girl said. "Reminds me of a starfish."

"Er…I suppose so. Anyway, others could possess and manipulate both living and non-living things expertly," Snape continued. "Average SMs are lucky if they can perform the Imperius Curse properly. The most famous is the ability to raise the dead, which no one but one of these "advanced" SMs has ever succeeded at."

"And what happened to the one who could raise the dead?" Nyx asked quietly.

"He escaped and hasn't been seen in over 50 years. For all anyone knows he's dead, but it's not very likely," Snape said. "The longer the Insanity Decline lasts, the more power the SM is supposed to gain during it. If he was able to resurrect the dead, he must have been quite old, and something tells me that another 50 years was a short time to keep himself alive."

The girl sighed heavily. "Of course."

This whole subject never went terribly well with Nyx. Since she and SMS had such a lousy history together, she was naturally able to become an expert on it overnight, even though the whole business depressed her to no end. From the safeguards to the causes and everything in between, she knew all there was to know about it. If only she could get on Jeopardy and have the astounding dumb luck it would take to have a category devoted to SMS, she'd be all set.

"Someone like him would be better off dead, no matter how amazing or helpful his abilities are," Nyx said. "If he's lived that long and been through that much, the next life can't possibly be any worse than this one."

Snape nodded. "Well put. Even contracting the disease is traumatizing. Two bites between two full moons, one from a vampire and one from a werewolf. It's amazing that there are so many natural SMs for how unlikely the odds are to get it."

"It still happens, though," Nyx said softly. "And I suppose, in the end, it's for the best that they were able to figure all this stuff out, even if their methods were completely fucked up. For one thing, I didn't know that consuming or inhaling silver in any form makes an SM's heart and lungs stop functioning for an amount of time directly proportionate to the amount of silver. I knew touching silver caused an intense burning or freezing feeling, even though silver isn't fatal like it would normally be for a vampire or a werewolf alone."

"Right, and touching or absorbing a moonstone makes an SM transform into the beastie whether it's full moon or not," the black-haired professor continued, leaning back in the chair. "To offset the weaknesses, SMs use safeguards to blend in with normal people and make themselves less dangerous. Blood rubies are worn to control their thirst for blood so they don't randomly take a bite out of someone, and taking the Wolfsbane potion with the Draught of Peace prevents any sort of werewolf transformation under the full moon. Using all three safeguards at the same time prevents any transformation whatsoever."

"Shame that Draught of Peace thing doesn't work on normal werewolves, innit?" Nyx asked, seeming to lighten up a bit.

Snape nodded a bit disinterestedly as he inspected his fingernails. "If an SM uses these safeguards properly and keeps their mouth shut, you can't tell them apart from a normal human. That's got the Ministry incredibly worried, of course. Because there's no cure for SMS and almost no way to kill anyone who has it, the Dark Lord would be _elated_ if he could have even one on his side, and I needn't explain why the Ministry doesn't like to hear that."

Nyx chuckled. "I don't blame them. Now what's all this about bezoars and phoenixes?" She nodded to the page with the alarmingly short list of weaknesses printed on it.

Snape leaned forward and recited without looking at the book, "Consumption of a bezoar induces vomiting, coughing up blood, intense headache, high fever and vertigo. Obviously, though, it's rare that an SM would eat one even on accident because they're immune to every poison cured by a bezoar, and every other poison, too, for that matter. Moving on, the cry of a phoenix is another thing that moves an SM closer to the Insanity Decline because it would be defined as 'torture.'"

"Sounds like nails on a chalkboard, right?" the girl-who-only-vaguely-remembered-hearing-these-things-beforehand asked.

"Yes, and even a relatively short exposure to it can drive them insane." Snape paused for a moment before he added quietly, "Dumbledore has a phoenix."

"Really?" the girl asked with genuine surprise. "I didn't think phoenixes could be tamed."

"Well, Dumbledore's usually the special case. I don't know how or when he got it, but I'll bet he's had it for at least as long as I've been alive." The man replied. "That reminds me of another point I should bring up while we're here. You see under 'Other Effects' where it says 'brief amnesia after traumatic or shocking experiences'?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Isn't that all basically what happened to you after you were attacked by that painting?"

Nyx's face blanked for a moment. "Yeah. It is. Same thing that happened when…_that_ happened, too. I forgot who the hell I was…"

Snape chuckled. "It almost would've been better if you'd never remembered anything after that."

"Yeah…" she sighed. "Except then I'd be twice as confused when I started acting funny because of this." She tapped the words 'Sang Maudit Syndrome' with her finger.

"How old did you say you were when it happened?" the professor asked curiously. "I always seem to forget."

"It was the summer between my 6th and 7th year, so I was 17." She replied simply. "I didn't tell anyone what happened when the werewolf bit me because I was so ashamed that I was too weak to protect myself, even though I knew how. I only regretted keeping it a secret when I transformed for the first time a month later and attacked some random guy who turned out to be a vampire, and then everyone found out what happened because my body was found the next morning, all mangled and bloody. My father was _especially_ angry with me."

"If I were your father I'd be angry, too." Snape admitted with a smirk. "So, how many times have you transformed into _this_ charming thing?" He flipped the pages back to the painting of the Grinning Demon.

"Hmm…" Nyx sat deep in thought for a few moments. "At least five times. Probably more, but I don't really keep track."

"That can't be a good idea."

"Oh, shut up. Not your problem. The point is that I'm aware enough to know who I killed, and if they were supposed to die or not."

"You're lucky then. Most SMs don't remember a thing once they transform into one of these."

"Oh really? I've never had that problem."

"Mm-hmm. They never know what happened while they were transformed unless they're told by a survivor. _If_ there's a survivor, that is."

Nyx laughed bitterly. "I would've rather been lied to than told what I did the first time I transformed. I knew what happened because I saw it with my own two eyes, but hearing it form someone else made me realize that it wasn't just a really awful nightmare like I hoped it was. That was the worst thing I've ever had to hear in my life. My punishment for it was far worse, though…"

The man behind the desk was quiet for a few seconds before saying gently, "If I was your father I wouldn't have done that to you. Instead of leaving you to rot I would've preferred to kill you outright."

"That would've been better than what I had to go through." She said distantly. "Except that was before they knew anything about my condition besides the fact that I couldn't be killed by traditional means." She stopped again and laughed humorlessly. "You know, the White spell was known back then. There was one family that passed it down through the generations – aptly named 'White' – because it was supposed to do _unspeakable_ things, though I forget if that was a positive or negative connotation. The last member of that family was supposed to have had his memory wiped in an unfortunate accident just a few years after I became an SM, and he hadn't taught it to his children yet."

"Wonderful." Snape muttered sarcastically. "At least death by a spell would be better than committing suicide."

"Not really. I've tried to kill myself before in whatever way would be quick and painless, except I woke up after it was done, and in _indescribable_ pain. Lately, though, every time I attempt suicide I barely feel anything, and whatever I feel isn't anywhere near what I'd call 'pain.'" Nyx replied coldly. "I'd rather take my own life than be murdered."

The DADA professor stared at her carefully. There were only a few times he'd ever been reminded of her extremely dangerous potential, and this was one of them. Only once before that day had he considered the idea that Nyx was already insane and she was doing a very good job of hiding it, and that her time was almost up. But, then again, perhaps her behavior was simply a result of her past and the bitterness and jealousy she felt towards mortals for their "gift of death" that she had been denied for so long. She told him years ago that she was ready to die any day that someone was ready to kill her. The only problem was that no matter how badly someone wanted to take her life, they were doomed to fail.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Nyx stretched her arms up over her head as she yawned loudly. "That was a lovely lunch. You know you're full when you start feeling sleepy…"

"I would've preferred steak, but then again we're not at home," Jack said quietly. He was gliding along beside her in his Animagus form because Louis was hogging her shoulders as he napped.

The girl laughed quietly. "We'll have steak for dinner then." The raven chirped his pleased response as he dodged a few people. They were walking down the main road of Hogsmeade, towards the Shrieking Shack where they would be disapparating to the citadel. Thankfully, they encountered no Death Eaters on their way this time.

Jack morphed back into his human state and held the rickety old door open for his master as she said, "Thank you. But what was that for?"

"Well why not?" he asked as he followed her into the dimly lit, dusty room. "I thought you'd appreciate it for a change."

"…Right. Well, anyway, before we go just yet," Nyx said before the other prepared to disapparate. "I have to ask you about something."

"Go ahead." Jack said nonchalantly as he fixed his wrap.

"It's about Annabella."

The man froze with wide eyes locked onto the floor. "…a…Anna…?"

"Your twin sister."

He turned his head quickly to stare at her, almost fearful. "H-how did you – ?"

"Severus told me last night, while you were asleep. I asked him how you two knew each other, and he told me you were a student of his until 6 years ago." She said quietly. "He also told me why he thought you didn't tell _me_; Alex Fiennes."

Jack twitched noticeably, and when he spoke his voice had become a harsh snarl. "The bastard that killed her?"

"He said that was what you believed." Nyx said carefully.

"Of course I do." He snapped. "It's a fact! He's a murderer! And the bloody idiots at the Ministry lost him because they haven't got the sense to wonder if he changed his name and his appearance to hide himself!"

His master was a bit surprised at the restrained rage in his voice. _He must have had to hold all the emotion in because there was no one to listen to him… _She knew that was true because Jack told her not long after they met that his mother died after giving birth to him (and his sister), and in the winter of his 7th year his father's wine was poisoned and he didn't get the antidote in time.

"Alex Fiennes was a Death Eater, so I joined up with you because you're against You-Know-Who, so that would make getting revenge a _lot_ easier!" the man spat, ignoring his black wrap as it fell off his face and across his shoulders.

"Really?"

Jack stopped short when he heard her icy tone, worrying that he'd angered her. But when he saw her blank eyes, he knew she was more indifferent than anything else. "…um, Lord Psycho?"

"I'm just surprised, is all…" she said distantly. "That just sounds very much like something _I_ would do…" She seemed to snap out of it and added, "Anyway, how do you plan on avenging your sister if you don't know what Alex Fiennes looks like now? You said you assume he's changed his name and appearance…"

"Unless this is all just a completely unlikely coincidence," the black-robed man said in a far more controlled voice. "I believe he didn't change much. If I am right, and I _strongly_ believe I am, Fiennes changed his last name to Lazarra, continued going by the first name 'Alex,' changed his hair to dirty blonde and his eyes to brown or whatever they are. I say this because for all the years I've been able to observe him, he behaves and sounds exactly as I remember Fiennes, and I remember him _very_ well.

"I knew there was something off when you first met him in that bar that one time; it felt like I'd heard him before. After he started flirting around with you I knew it had to be the same person because he did it to Annabella years before. I'm just glad you didn't fall for it like she did…"

Jack fell silent for a moment to lean against the old, rotted wall an sigh exhaustedly. "I knew there was something funny with him back then, too. I told her she shouldn't get involved with someone like that, and especially because he was a couple years older than we were at the time. But she didn't listen to me. She said I was being too over-protective, and that if I couldn't let her live her own life she'd cut ties with me once we graduated. I couldn't stand the thought of that…Everyone always assumed we were close because we were fraternal twins, but we may as well have been conjoined twins for the bond we shared. To this day I still can't put it into words how or why we always knew what the other was thinking or going to say next, or how we loved and hated the same things, had the same abilities – she was a Ragshiel, too, you know."

"That might be part of why you two had such a close bond," Nyx interrupted softly. "Ragshiel are supposed to be able to make a higher connection with people and animals, and especially so with others that share the ability."

"Maybe…" he murmured, staring at the floor morosely. "But if that's so, then it's a gift and a curse at the same time…"

"Why?"

"…I see her everywhere I go…she talks to me, but I can never answer her…I should be able to, but…I always feel like I'm choking…it's…it's _maddening_…"

Nyx felt a jab of pity as she saw that he was dangerously close to tears of mixed sadness and frustration. All Ragshiel have the ability to see the spirits of those who died, but didn't stay behind as ghosts. They can hear them speaking, and they're supposed to be able to communicate back. She couldn't relate to that aspect of it so much, but she knew the other feeling all too well; that cold, empty feeling of helplessness that went hand-in-hand with such a sudden, painful loss…

Snape's words suddenly echoed in her mind: _"…the most famous is the ability to raise the dead…"_

Nyx slowly closed the distance between herself and Jack as she brought up a pale, slender hand to rest it on the side of his face. She gently tilted his head up to look him in the eyes, and he felt his face grow warm.

"I know what it's like to lose someone you love as much as you loved Annabella." She said softly. "I've lost several in my time, and I know the pain very well. Whether this helps to ease yours a bit or not, if we ever get into a fight with any Death Eaters and _he's_ there, I'll make sure you're the one to deliver the death blow – even if I have to throw him in front of your wand. And…this is a bit of a secret, but if I ever figure out how to resurrect the dead, I _promise_ you'll be the first to know."

Jack felt a hot, stinging tear roll down his cheek and hit his master's hand. "…thank you…" he whispered, gazing into her softened green-gray eyes. He almost stared when he felt a nudge between his shoulder blades. His back was pressed against the wall…how could – ?

"…_kiss her…"_

_Wh-**What?**_

"_Kiss her."_

_Who're y– ?_

"_Kiss her already, Jack!"_

…_A…**Anna?**_

"_Thaaat's me! Took you long enough to respond, though. Now **kiss her!"**_

_Wait! Why?_

"_Because it'll make all three of us happy. Now do it! Pretty please?"_

_How do **you** know?_

"_I have my ways…"_

_W-well, what if she snaps and tries to **kill **me or something?_

"_She won't. Trust me."_

…_but…but…_

"_But what? Don't you want to give her a big 'ole **smooch**?"_

…_well, not if you put it like that, no._

"_Fine. Don't you love her?"_

…_w-well, yes, but…_

"_But **what**, my dear twin? You were just telling your girlfriend there how we were like one mind, and the Jack I remember was never so shy or – dare I say it? – un-romantic!"_

…_that was years ago, though…and she's **not** my girlfriend…_

"_Not yet, at least."_

_Right. But still, we don't have the kind of relationship that would continue smoothly if this went badly…I don't know if it's worth the risk…_

"…_Oh, my poor, poor brother…you really **have** changed since I died…"_

_Since you…Wait! Did you see who killed you? It was that piece-of-shit Fiennes, wasn't it?_

"…"

_Tell me! **Please**, Anna!_

"…"

_Dammit, Annabella Lee Corbeau!_

"…_**Fine.** I'll tell you under one condition."_

_Anything!_

"_**KISS HER!**"_

Jack felt another forceful shove in the back from his sister's spirit, standing just to his right. She looked just as he remembered; shoulder-length, feathery black hair, enchanting blue eyes, milky skin, and beautifully dignified features identical to his own. The trademark mischievous little smile on her ghostly lips emphasized that she was indeed Annabella Corbeau.

"Quit shoving me!" he snapped at the image, beginning to blush furiously. Jack knew his master was deaf to his sister's words, but that didn't make it any less embarrassing for him. He didn't want to admit that he was in love with Nyx, or do anything about it for the time being. He had already accepted that he had next to no chance with her, even though his only competition – Alex Lazarra – was long out of the running.

Something gave Jack the feeling that his master had no particular desire to love someone like _that_, and certainly not him if anyone. He couldn't really blame his sister for being annoyed with him when he refused to eliminate one of the items on his "Things To Do Before I Die" list because the last time they had spoken, he wouldn't have needed her egging him on. But since she was murdered…it was almost as if he had become a different person, and he hated himself for it. But he couldn't force himself to change, not without his other half by his side.

"Er…" Nyx said, gaping at her underling. "Did I miss…some…thing?"

"Uhh…" Jack started pathetically, trying to hide his reddened cheeks. "…m-my, uh…my sister is…" He glanced between the two women helplessly; Nyx who looked more confused than ever and Anna who was giggling triumphantly. "…I-I was talking to her…"

"Oh, so _that's_ why you blanked out for a minute there," she said. "…hang on, I thought you said you _couldn't_ communicate with her?"

"Well…" he started quietly, glancing back at his twin. "…something changed." She smiled broadly at him before he looked back at Nyx. She stared back at him curiously as she realized that he was leaving something important out. But as she locked onto his eyes to use her Legilimency, he turned back to Annabella casually as if he wasn't trying to avoid her gaze. But, to his immense disappointment, she had vanished. He looked around the dank little room almost frantically; she didn't tell him if he was right about Fiennes, whether he kissed Nyx or not.

"What's wrong?" Nyx asked.

"…_damn_. She's gone." He muttered. "And she didn't tell me if it was him or not…"

"…'him'…?"

"Alex Fiennes."

"Oh, right. But…why didn't she tell you?" Nyx was controlling her tone very carefully.

"She was being stubborn…" Jack replied with a sigh. "She'd only tell me if I did something else, which I was _not_ going to do."

"What was it?" she asked with genuine curiosity. If he refused to do it even to find out who killed his sister, it _must_ have been interesting.

"…well, it involved you, and if I went ahead and did it without your consent you'd be _very_ displeased with me…" he said slowly, trying not to look her in the face.

"Oh my. I'll take your word for it." Nyx muttered a bit nervously. They both fell silent for a little while.

"…remember what you asked me last night, about why I hate having my real name used?" Jack asked quietly. "I said it's because you never know who might hear it. By that I mean someone who knows the man that killed Annabella, and could blow my cover. That's also why I hide my face all the time. When _he_ was with us all those times, he would've recognized me straight away if it weren't for my nickname and my outfit. I don't want him to know who I am until I'm about to kill him."

"That sounds pretty cruel, coming from you." his master said with a quiet smile.

"Anything less wouldn't make me feel any better." Jack said simply. "I know I can't fully repay him for killing my sister without ending his life, but it'll be worth it to see the look on his face when he realizes who I am."

Nyx laughed to herself. _He really **is** taking after me…But should that make me proud or worried? _

"As I said, I'll make sure no one kills him before you do…unless of course, _his_ master gets fed up with him and does it himself. Then my hands are tied, but at least you'll know he got what he deserved." She said kindly.

Jack said his thanks and wondered what was making her act so…strange. _I've seen her act like this only a few times…it's probably out of pity, in my case, but nevertheless…it's…**nice **to see her have normal emotions for a change…usually she's either angry or depressed or just crazy and who **knows **what she's really feeling…but I've never seen her be truly happy…I wonder why…_

"Are we ready to go, then?" Nyx asked, still seeming unusually good-tempered.

"Yes," Jack said before adding softly. "Thank you for everything, Nyx. Really."

She froze and gaped at him.

"H-how did you…?"

"I overheard Snape and Slughorn calling you that when you were in the hospital wing after you were attacked. When they started calling you 'Ariana' when Draco Malfoy was there, I supposed Nyx was your _real_ name. Kind of like 'Evil Minion' and 'Jack Corbeau' for me…also, not to mention Slughorn called you 'Nyx' a few times last night while I was still awake…"

"…uh…yeah…stupid Horace…so, you were listening when we were talking back then, after the portrait attacked me?"

"Yes. I was sitting underneath another one of the beds on the other side of the room so I could see you clearly. I didn't tell you before because I knew it wouldn't help you heal or get back to your old self again."

"…well, I certainly wasn't expecting to hear _that_."

"It sounds like you only want to be called by that name around certain people, and _definitely_ not around the general public, but…do you suppose I could call you by it, when it's just the two of us?"

Nyx was quiet for a long time, thinking very carefully, before she said in a slightly strained voice, "…if it will make you happy. But, if you can call me 'Nyx' then you have to let me call you 'Jack' when it's just us. Other than that, I'll call you 'Evil Minion' and you'll call me 'Lord Psycho', or 'Ariana' depending on who we're around. It's only fair."

Jack smiled and agreed before replacing his head wrap and putting his hood up. A soft pop and a loud crack sounded simultaneously, and they vanished.

--- to be continued in Chapter 11 : Dragon Wings---

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (With exception of Nyx, Jack, Annabella, SMS, the White spell and Louis.)

**A/N:** Well that took a while to write. -bows- Sorry, folks. In case you didn't read it on my profile, I was revamping the entire story so far by editing parts of the earlier chapters and reposting them right before I posted this; namely, I finally split chapter 6 into 2 separate chapters, which is why this is chapter 10 instead of 9 like you were expecting. -cough- Yep. I did this because I screwed a bunch of stuff up that would mess up the story later on, and it's only because 1. my math skills suck, and 2. back in chapter 1 I had no idea anyone would like the story so I didn't really plan ahead very much, and _many_ things were changed since then, so yeah. Obviously, since there are currently 1094 pageviews on this story, it's a wee bit more popular than I was expecting. -grin- Anyway, you can go back and look for the changes if you so desire, but if not here are the main,important changes:

1. Sakura is **NOT** the "Dragon Keeper." She is the Master of Communications. (Changed because there is no such thing as a Dragon Keeper anymore, and she'd be lousy at it anyway.) (from Chapter 1)

2. D'maxucoma is **NOT** the "Warlord." He is the Grand General of the human branch of Nyx's army. (Changed because Warlord doesn't sound as good as it did when I first wrote it. -cough-) (from Chapter 1)

3. From Chapter 9 (Christmas chapter) - The date on the photo of Nyx, Sluggy and -mystery person- (-heh-)is NOT December 24th, 1943. It's 1944. Also, the page that picture's on has been changed to 1944-45 instead of '43-44 because, as I said, my math skills suck.

Besides these changes, there aren't really any major ones. I just fussed around with sentences and crap to make it sound better and whatnot, so it's not really important that you reread everything just for that. BUT! I would recommend going back and reading the Author Notes at the end of each chapter because I changed them, and you might...I dunno, learn something? Just read 'em. It'll help in the long run.

**General Notes:** Don't you feel sorry for Nyx now? Sure she has eternal youth because of the immortality thing, but good _god_ is it bad when they transform. This has everything to do with her 'history' and it's gonna get _reeeaaal_ interesting when I start doing the flashback chapters. -cackles- Yes, indeed, there wil be _several_ flashback chapters. (Note that it's chapters, not sequences. This means there will be at _least _3 chapters that are all in the past. AND I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THAT I THINK I MIGHT PEE MY PANTS BECAUSE THEY'RE GONNA BE LIKE THE BEST CHAPTERS UNTIL THE CLIMAX WHICH IS ALSO GONNA BE REALLY COOL AND SUPER LONG AND DRAWN OUT AND LIKE 20 CHAPTERS LONG BECAUSE I'M STUPID LIKE THAT AND OMFG **SQUIRRELS**!) (-Shannon Reference! Omg! Don't Ask!-)

Also, there's a new pic of the SMS beastie now that I've totally redone it, and I'm extremely happy with the results. The link's on my profile in the usual place.

Incidentally, back in chapter 3 when Snape commented that "not everyone is as gifted as you, Nyx" he was referring to her SMS. ...And the eternal youth thing because she said he looked old. (Snape: "I'm only 36, damn you.")

Don't you feel even sorrier for Jack now? And isn't Annabella fun? Pity I killed her before I even introduced her. -sigh- Interesting facts: Anna was originally based off of a friend of mine, but I kinda crapped out on that, so she's not based on anyone any more. Also, her original middle name was "Diana" but after something AceGray said, I changed it to "Lee." -grin- If you get it, awesome, if not, whatever. Just a little something for the literature nerds like us.

And aren't you pissed at me for not having any lovey-dovey scenes yet? Heh, give it time, your cravings shall be satisfied eventually. But between which two (or maybe three? -wiggles eyebrows-) characters, and when? This is why I love writing suspense-type stuff. It makes everyone wants to keep reading...but it also makes them hate you for not telling them what's gonna happen next, or later. -siiiiigh- I just can't win.

**Final Words:** Dunno if I said this already, but the next chapter is over half done already because this was originally supposed to be part of it, but it got too long so I chopped it up. So it shouldn't take too long to finish, I hope. There's a lot I need to rewrite though, so I won't make any promises to have it up by such-and-such a day. Still, keep an eye out for it over the weekend because I have more time to work on it then. And keep the reviews coming! I really enjoy reading them! -beams-

And now for a special treat...Kavi does a Mastercard ad! (Inspired by her Arachnophobia.)

Seeing a huge spider on your fridge as you're going to get a drink: _terrifying_

Seeing a chubby spider in a little cocoon-thing on the mirror in your bathroom as you're going to brush your teeth: _horrifying_

Seeing a little black spider building a web right next to where your head goes when you sleep: _unnerving_

Seeing a huge black spider on the wall at the top of your stairs as you're on your way to bed and you're really, really tired and you have to scramble past it and nearly fall all the way back down: _aggravating_

Seeing a fat-ass spider running up your bedroom wall as you're minding your own business getting changed into your PJ's: _creepifying (...?)_

Smacking the shit out of that little fucker with a shoe/book/folder/packet of looseleaf paper: _PRICELESS_

(Leaving the spider guts on the wall as a trophy: _kinda pathetic_)

...thank you, thank you. -bows deeply-

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

--- **k**avi-**s**ama ---


	11. Chapter 11: Dragon Wings

Chapter 11 – Dragon Wings

Scarcely a moment later, Nyx and Jack appeared on the large, circular stone platform just outside the citadel. The 24-year-old started making his way to the stairs leading indoors with the hem of his black cloak dragging on the cold, stony ground. He stopped mid-way when he didn't hear his master following, and turned halfway around to look at her.

Nyx stood in the middle of the circular platform adjusting her clothes so that they'd fit properly. She had turned back into her Lord Psycho form; stick-straight midnight black hair down to her waist, blazing fiery eyes, several inches taller, and still quite pale. She, who now looked rather older than 16, conjured up a little mirror in the air and inspected herself.

"Huh. Guess the spell wore off." she muttered to her reflection.

"I still don't get how you managed that." Jack said, crossing his arms almost as if he were pouting because he couldn't do it too.

"I already explained it enough; unless you're willing to give up your most prized possession, you can't perform the spell." Nyx responded curtly. "And I'm still not telling you what it was I gave up, either."

The other waited for her to catch up with him before finishing the stairs. "I still think you look better in your other form." Jack murmured as they walked towards the ballroom.

"You only say that because I'm taller than you like this," Nyx chuckled. He rolled his eyes as they came to the massive wooden doors and waved his wand once, making them open slowly. They stepped in, still side-by-side, and beheld the grand ballroom.

From the double curving staircases on either side of them to the massive walls of mirrors surrounding them, to the rich wooden floor and to the massive crystal chandelier hanging over the center of the room, the ballroom was without a doubt the most exquisite room in the citadel. The curving stairs were covered with an elegant gold runner, and flanked by iron banisters. The parquet floor was decorated with slivers of silver and gold paint to accent the gold-edged mirrors covering the walls, making the room look many times it's real size. The gorgeously detailed chandelier was lit by real candles and an unseen system of mirrors that multiplied the light and created a unique effect when it bounced off the reflective walls. There was no need for any other lights in the room, save for a smaller chandelier of the same model at the top of the stairs. The room was only used on special occasions, such as the grand total of two parties Nyx had ever held there, and around certain holidays; namely, Christmas.

A massive pine tree stood between the stairs, decorated extravagantly with all sorts of sparkling and shimmering gems and oddities, most of which were magically created. A solid gold topper in the shape of a dragon and a phoenix about to take flight in opposite directions sat on the tip of the tree, nearly equal to where Nyx and Jack stood at the top of the steps. A chain of what looked like flaming snakes biting each others' tails as they wound their way up to the summit of the tree cast enchanting green and red lights on to the ornaments and tree itself. A mountain of wrapped gifts of all shapes and sizes was piled up around the base of the tree, begging to be opened. Two squishy, black leather sofas were set up in a wide half-circle around the tree with a rather large wooden coffee table in the center. A small glass bowl, filled with little scraps of paper, sat on the table next to some lit candles for effect.

The pair stepped out from behind the tree and peered down over the railing at Sakura and Maxu, the former seated on one of the couches and the latter pacing around the presents curiously.

"Happy Christmas!" Nyx called down cheerily.

They looked up excitedly and returned the greeting. Maxu was decked out in one red and one green sock, dressy black pants, a crisp white work shirt, a tie that faded from red to green continuously, and a pointed red hat with white trim around the opening and a little puff ball on the tip. He removed that hat to salute his master flamboyantly. Sakura rose from her seat, displaying her custom-made Japanese kimono with pride; it was snowy white with tiny pink and orange flowers with warm green leaves, accompanied by a pink-and-white-striped silk obi tied about her waist and finished off in a large bow behind her. She charmed her hair so that it was now a white to match the dress with brilliant red and green streaks replacing the pink ones she usually had, and her make up matched the dress. She later explained that her hair was in the Christmas spirit, but her dress was more Spring-like because she was sick and tired of the cold and snow.

"Get down here!" the American shouted giddily. "I wanna open these!"

Sakura whapped him in the back of the head with a paper fan she grabbed out of nowhere. "Greedy." She scolded him. "Christmas isn't about _getting_, it's about _giving_." She smiled serenely as Maxu fixed his light hair.

"Yes, mother." He muttered before dodging the fan again.

Their master chuckled to herself before telling them, "I'll be down there in 5 minutes. I feel too under-dressed." She gestured to her jeans and green sweater under the black coat sheepishly.

"Wait! No!" the girl below yelped as she dashed over to the pile of brightly colored paper. "Open this first!" She dragged out a huge, tall box labeled, "To: Lord Psycho, From: Your Loyal Followers."

"Yeah, this one's for you from all your underlings." Maxu explained. "It sorta includes us, but we all got you other stuff, too. They all just decided that this would be better than a bunch of little gifts, since spending's limited…"

And he was quite right; Nyx had set up a sort of "fund" used by her top underlings – Maxu, Sakura, Schlange, Edgar and Jack – to purchase presents for each other (and their master, although she never did more than imply that it should be done) around holidays and birthdays. At the same time, this fund was used by Nyx to award all of her lower minions a rather generous bonus, calculated by such things as how long they've been working for her, what exactly it is they do, their performance and so on. In return, each unit had a certain amount of money to use to get _her_ something. In this case, they had all pooled the money to get one present instead of multiple gifts of lesser value, which had produced a _lot_ of repeat gifts in past years.

"Well…" Nyx muttered uncomfortably. She didn't want to be the first one to open a gift, and especially this early. "…I can't because Schlange and Edgar aren't here. How'd that make _them_ feel, hm?"

"Schlange won't be back terribly soon." A dignified voice said from the doorway behind her. Nyx turned to see Edgar floating there looking extra-official in his black suit and green tie.

"Why?" Jack asked for her.

"He's on a mission to investigate some suspicious activity a mile or two south of here." The ghostly butler explained, polishing his monocle on one of his coattails. "One of the other dragons reported seeing a good-sized gathering of hooded humans behaving oddly."

"How many were there, and what do you mean by 'oddly'?" the woman asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Something around 20, I believe, perhaps a bit more or less." Edgar replied. "He said they seemed to be waiting for something, or some_one_, and they were all acting very anxious."

"We suspected Death Eater activity." Maxu called from below. "Schlange volunteered to go keep watch in case You-Know-Who shows up, or they do anything you wouldn't approve of."

Nyx nodded. "I understand. When did he leave?"

"Two days ago." The silvery old man said. "He said if he hasn't returned by noon tomorrow to send out a searching party, unless he gives us some sort of signal that he's unhurt. Commander Andrews and his unit are keeping watch along the walls as we speak. I just had some drinks delivered to them to keep them warm."

"Schlange said he didn't mind if we went ahead with the gifts and whatnot without him." The Japanese girl added loudly.

Nyx sighed loudly and looked at the black-covered man to her right pleadingly. "…must I open it?"

"I think so." He answered, holding in a chuckle. He knew what was in the box, and that she would be positively elated when she saw what it was. Jack followed her as she stomped down the stairs and the American positioned the box for her to open a safe distance away from everything else.

"…this had better be good…" she muttered as she approached the vertical box. The others grinned amongst themselves knowingly as she glanced at the label and started tearing off the red-and-silver-striped paper. She plucked the big, silver bow off the paper and stuck it on the top of Jack's head as she said dryly, "Happy holidays." Once the paper was scattered around the floor in shreds, the wooden wardrobe-like chest underneath was revealed. Nyx stared at it curiously and asked her nearest minion with a hint of dread, "Is it clothes?" She **_hated_** getting clothes, with about one and a half exceptions.

"Open it!" Sakura told her, bouncing on her heels excitedly.

Nyx carefully opened the two doors and then suddenly jumped a pace back and clapped her hands over her mouth in shock. She directed her wide, fiery eyes to Jack and barely squeaked out, "…is this what…I think it…?"

"Yep." Her underlings replied in unison, beaming.

Nyx let out a very uncharacteristically giddy squeal of joy as she did a little dance on her toes and sprung back over to the chest. She floated the object inside it out so she could see it better. It was a beautifully fitting suit of armor, made of a darkened but shiny gray metal, and shaped just perfectly for a woman of Nyx's variety; not indecently suggestive, but not making her look like a man, yet relatively flattering at the same time. Intricate designs adorned specific points on the armor, inlaid with a red substance that seemed to glow against the dark metal and producing a unique effect. A billowing black cape was attached to the shoulders of the armor, and accented the red designs on the metal with it's crimson interior. Beneath the plates where one's hips would go, a long black cloth – also red on the inside – similar to a skirt covered the leg armor except for two slits to allow for freer movement.

"Oh my god…Oh my _god_…" Nyx whispered as she rotated the exquisite armor and gaped at it in overjoyed awe, seemingly about to explode with happiness. "I…am…_so _putting this on." She breathed before taking the precious armor and dashing up the stairs and into the hall. Before this, she slipped the still deeply asleep Louis off her neck and dropped him onto the couch, waking him with a start. The 2-and-a-half-foot-long snake looked around curiously for a few moments before getting scared by the unfamiliar surroundings and the strangers nearby, and slithered between the cushions to hide.

Jack glanced at his coworkers and said with a hidden grin, "I think she likes it."

"Obviously," Maxu laughed before pausing to watch the other for a moment. "Yeah, and I'll bet you're all smiles under there 'cause you picked it out. I was surprised you didn't give it to her." He gave the older man a significant look that was the equivalent of saying, "Y'know, to get on her good side because I _still_ think you have a crush on her."

"I'm giving her the accessory, remember?" the cloaked minion said, ignoring the look he received. "I know she'd be just as happy with my gift alone, so she'll like it even more now she's got the armor to go with it."

"…um. Whatever." The 19-year old muttered before flopping down on a sofa and pouting a bit in defeat.

A triumphant laugh from the top of the stairs caught their attention. The minions all looked up at their master, now looking quite magnificent in the elegant armor, and in Jack's opinion, also quite beautiful. She struck a dramatic pose at the peak of the steps and slid down the banister, cackling in gleeful insanity. At the bottom she jumped off and landed on her feet lightly, making the armor clink quietly. Without a word, she began proudly displaying the gorgeous armor with an elated grin lighting up her face.

"_Very_ nice." Sakura said as she clapped appreciatively.

"Bloody hell, I hope Voldemort shows up tomorrow so I can kick his loser ass in this!" Nyx exclaimed as she twirled around. "Of course, that'll never happen, but I can dream."

"We'll keep it in mind for your birthday," Jack said with a grin. "When is that, again?"

"Uh…" she murmured as she stopped to think and count on her fingers. "It's in…nineteen days."

"January 13th?" Maxu asked, rising from his seat.

Nyx nodded as she continued inspecting her new look and Edgar floated over to the coffee table.

"I do hate to spoil your fun, my lord, but I'm sure you'd like to continue with the festivities?" he asked as he picked up the clear bowl and shook it a bit.

"Oh, right. Yeah, go ahead." She replied distractedly before cleaning up the paper shreds and moving the large wooden armor-chest against a wall out of the way with a wave of her hand.

The butler started mixing the little paper scraps up as best he could while the others took their seats on the leather sofas, watching him with unconcealed excitement. Christmas was the general favorite holiday because it was something like a game; the papers in the little bowl each had one name written on them for every recipient's name on a gift. When the first name was picked, a random gift was chosen for them and they opened it. When the next name was to be chosen, the last person to open a present would have to give that person the gift they chose for them. This made things go quite interestingly because one never knew who was going to get the next gift, and the same person could not receive a present twice in a row. At the end, there would be a final drawing to decide who would receive the surprise gift. This ranged from a tripled bonus to a brand-new broom to a bottle of plain black ink. It was said that only Nyx knew what the gift would be since she herself was never eligible to win it, likely because she never needed any of the things that were given away.

Edgar waved his semitransparent hand over the bowl as he placed it on the table. A single scrap of paper glowed red and fluttered out of the bowl to land on the table like a little butterfly. "…and the winner is…Evil Minion."

"Goody…" he muttered sarcastically. It was always strange to get presents from the others because he never really told them much about his likes or interests, so they usually had to just guess. Some things went over better than others. The blue box he received from Sakura contained two black t-shirts; one said in white letters "Every day I think people can't get any stupider. Every day I'm proven horribly wrong." and the other had "Sarcasm helps you keep from telling people what you really think of them" also in white. It took him a few minutes to stop laughing.

An hour or so later, the ballroom resembled heaven as it's inhabitants couldn't be happier with their new goodies. Sakura was sprawled across the couch wearing a dazed, happy look as she munched on a fraction of the truckload of Pocky – a Japanese treat and the one thing the teenager could easily live on for a year – in every flavor imaginable she received as a gift from Maxu, which she bear hugged him for. From Jack, she received a fitted cream-colored t-shirt with "Pocky Princess" written across the front in a glittering rainbow of color, with a cute little stick of Pocky on the back, grinning adorably. He also gave her a gift certificate for her favorite clothing store because he didn't know what the hell else to get her besides the shirt, which Maxu gave him a bit of help with in the first place. From Edgar she received a _very_ fitting black suitcase covered in pink pinstripes and silhouetted flowers that could fit up to two weeks worth of clothes, a bed, a sizeable amount of cosmetics and enough Pocky to last a month. The enchanted suitcase was a compliment to the trip to Japan that Nyx planned out for her, including all hotel and food fares, plus 100 galleons in spending money, which she could embark on at any time she wanted. Sakura was especially grateful for the trip because she was embarrassed that she was pure Japanese but had never been to Japan in her life, because she was born and raised in England.

A short while after beginning presents, Louis finally poked his head out from between the cushions, and Nyx promptly explained the situation to him. He was – thankfully – put at ease, and changed to being elated when he received his presents; a few more miniature "clothes" such as little hats and a 'sweater' made out of a couple socks, a variety of cat toys such as mice on strings for him to amuse himself with, and an automatically-adjusting spiked black collar with his name written in silver and green, accompanied by an equally adjustable leash for Nyx's use. As he received his gifts, he was introduced to each of his mummy's top minions, none of which he seemed inclined to like very much. Sakura won him over later on in the evening when she gave him a stick of cherry pocky since she heard he was quite fond of the actual fruit, despite being a carnivore, and the basilisk was all but putty in her hands. (He didn't technically get anyone else anything, so he just told them to count his mummy's presents as from him, too.)

Edgar was very pleased with his presents, despite the fact that they were all basically the same thing: five Day-Off coupons – one each from Nyx, Jack, Sakura, Maxu and Schlange – that he could use at his leisure to make one of them do all of his work for 24 hours, but he could only use it on each of them once and he had to use them before next Christmas. Maxu was especially dreading this because he knew he wouldn't be able to avoid mouthing off at the ghost for the next 365 days.

Jack was seated on another couch inspecting the beautiful fencing equipment he received in parts from Edgar, Nyx and Maxu. The butler provided the body equipment – two sets so that proper bouts could be held – and the American provided the swords – two each of foil, epee, and saber – not counting the near priceless antique set his master had been so lucky to find in a Diagon Ally pawnshop; the manager had no idea of the value of the 150-year old swords in pristine condition, but he was perfectly delighted to get 41 galleons, 8 sickles and 5 knuts for the lot. Jack was well known for his love of fencing, and that even Nyx couldn't beat him at it. He had informed her that fencing was a tradition in his family – right up there with wine drinking – mostly because of his (semi-)noble lineage, and that there seemed to be a lot of child prodigies among his ancestors.

Nyx was busy admiring her reflection in the mirrored walls, still wearing her new favorite armor. But, now, it was complimented by a matching, unique sword, given to her by Jack. As he predicted, she was even more ecstatic over the elegant weapon, and to everyone's astonishment she actually hugged him for it as she thanked him. When Nyx returned to inspecting the sword Jack pulled the wrap down just enough to stick his tongue out at Maxu and grin. The lithe weapon's thin silver blade came to a dreadfully sharp point after a fairly long slant, making the last quarter of the blade seem pin-like. At the base of the point the blade's edges were broken by saw-like teeth for extra damage, including another set halfway down the rest of the blade. The hilt was of the same metal that made up the armor, with similar engravings inlaid with the same glowy, red substance. Even the way the two-handed hilt was shaped was reminiscent of the armor. Even while in it's sturdy, black sheath at Nyx's waist, it looked fantastic with the rest of the armor. A massive supply of Oreos and a good-sized stock in the actual company – though how he acquired it no one knew – was her gift from Maxu, and she also received a brand new Firebolt broom from Sakura because she accidentally crashed and demolished her master's Nimbus 2001 right before she left for Hogwarts. Nyx never said anything about getting a new one (or for Sakura to pay for the old one) because she doubted she'd have time to use it while at school, but the girl knew it wouldn't hurt to replace it as soon as it was convenient. Because Edgar had to chip in almost all of his funds towards his master's present from Sakura (and she _did _ask politely), all he was able to afford were some blood-flavored lollipops and a black long-sleeved shirt that had in red lettering, "When I can't sleep at night, I count the number of buckles on my straightjacket." She wasn't the least bit disappointed either way since they were so appropriate for her.

Meanwhile, Maxu was goofing around as usual a small distance away as he blasted some Muggle band called "ACDC" on his new Muggle "stereo system" or whatever he said it was called. The stereo was from Edgar to keep him in his room (and out of the butler's hair) more often, and the complete collection of ACDC vinyl records and CDs was from Sakura, who knew all too well the 19-year-old's passion for his favorite band. Another complete collection of records and CDs from yet another Muggle band, "The Rolling Stones," was Jack's gift to Maxu, also a massive Stones fan. Nyx barely managed to outbid other rabid fans for an "electric guitar," autographed by an "Angus Young" and a "Mick Jagger" that she hoped were the right people. Maxu almost had heart failure.

Later that night after a lovely steak dinner, everyone was treated to a riotous karaoke session with Maxu in the spotlight as he impersonated Mick Jagger singing "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" – or at least everyone assumed that was the title because he said it quite a few times. Afterwards, and after enough wine to make him lose his sense of judgment, Jack joined in to participate in ACDC's "Big Balls" because he was a fan as well, although not half as obsessed as the American, and it was one of his top favorite Muggle songs of all time. Nyx and Sakura nearly suffocated with laughter as they watched the two young men act out the suggestively hilarious lyrics, especially because they seemed to be taking it quite seriously. Louis laughed because "they look like bloody idiots." Edgar wasn't quite as amused, but that could easily be blamed on his age and his particular sense of humor.

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Morning came with anxiety and only a hint of the lighthearted previous night. Schlange still hadn't returned from his self-appointed spying mission, and everyone was getting nervous. He promised to return by noon that day, or to at least give some signal that he hadn't been killed. The soldiers keeping watch around the citadel had sighted neither dragons nor any kind of signal, and Nyx was the only one who didn't seem terribly worried.

"You're all giving Schlange a lot less credit than he deserves." She said as she picked at her breakfast. "I doubt he'll get himself killed even if Voldemort himself attacks him. I know his strengths and weaknesses, and there aren't too many of the second one."

"But still, what if he's hurt and not dead?" Sakura asked with a distinctly distressed look on her face. Her hair was back to its normal colors and she was wearing her ducky pajamas. "What if he's bleeding from six places out in the snow a mile away in this freezing cold?"

"Dragons are less easily wounded than you seem to think they are." Jack interrupted from his seat facing away from the others. "It would take one hell of a powerful, Dark spell to seriously injure Schlange."

"Precisely." Their master said as she stabbed her pancake with a fork. "I'm sure he'd be very happy to hear you getting all worked up over him like this, Sakura, but as of now there's nothing to be worried about. He said he would be here by noon, or he would make sure we knew that he was all right."

"I know, but…" she murmured. She had a horrible feeling in her gut that she should be _terribly_ worried, and that her master had no idea what she was talking about. "…I just have a really bad feeling about not sending someone out to look, just in case…"

"I think she might have a point." Maxu said slowly. "I mean, what'll it hurt? One less person to have to keep busy."

"If someone goes searching around where Schlange was supposed to be keeping watch, and _they're_ spotted we could be in a whole mess of trouble if we aren't already." Nyx replied firmly. She paused to swallow a few bits of food before adding, "But if it gets too close to noon with no sign of Schlange I'll think about it."

Sakura sighed in relief. The tight, hot feeling of dread in her stomach loosened only a little bit, but at least Nyx wasn't acting so overly confident anymore. She just hoped that if they did send someone to look around noon they wouldn't be too late…

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A wave of panic swept through the citadel at half-past eleven. Nyx was sprinting through the halls to the apparating platform at an alarming speed. Schlange was there, but from what she gathered from the messenger he was in an ungodly condition and extremely lucky to have a single breath left in him. As she reached the top of the steps to the platform and looked down, she had to choke back an anguished sob.

Schlange's mangled form lay on the bloodstained platform next to Huoh-Long, who had seen him collapsed in the valley below and carried him there. A few lower underlings were there as well, trying to think of anything they could do to help as they stared at the dragon in horror. He was covered in deep wounds, many of which were blackened as if they'd been scorched with fire after being inflicted. His tail was missing a large chunk of flesh and his back left foot had been crushed beyond use. His right wing was cut and burnt and snapped so many times and in so many places it would have to be amputated. His left wing was no more than a bloodied stump of bone barely poking out of his back. The dragon's throat looked like it had been ripped open by a wild animal, and it was leaking a river of blood. Huoh-Long was already trying to stop it before he bled to death as the white Chinese Fireball, Yun-Xing, arrived and Nyx staggered down the steps, horrified. Huoh-Long and Yun-Xing were experienced in healing almost any kind of injury or disease, but Schlange's damage was terrible.

Huoh-Long conveyed to Nyx as she sat by her favorite dragon's head that he would carry scars for the rest of his life from this attack. Whoever did the initial damage, she explained, had made it far worse with a Dark curse they placed on the wounds. Once they healed, they would burn with pain every time sunlight touched them; not even the strongest dragon would be able to bear even a few, and Schlange's body was littered with them. Also, his back left foot could be repaired, but he would not be allowed to walk on it for at least two weeks. The two graceful dragons agreed that Schlange shouldn't get up at all for at least 4 days, but their master doubted he would abide by it if he thought he had his strength back by day two. But the most tragic part of their report was his wings – the wings that he could no longer have.

Soon, the other minions arrived. Sakura broke down into sobs as she clung to Maxu for support and he gaped at Schlange, utterly bewildered as to how this could have happened. Jack felt the same way, but he wasn't frozen solid the moment he saw the dragon's wounds. When he saw his master kneeling in a pool of Schlange's blood by his head, he went down by her to see if she was all right. Nyx was silent as she stroked the side of his face gently, black hair veiling her expression.

"…Master?" Jack asked quietly.

"…he can't see me…" she replied weakly in a quivering voice. Nyx was staring into Schlange's barely opened eyes, vacant and clouded as they stared straight through her blindly. Before he could utter a word of comfort, Jack heard a loud sniffle and Nyx pushed her long hair back away from her face. Grief and rage had mixed together inside her to produce the tears sliding down her pale cheeks.

Jack felt his heart skip a beat; _she's…**crying?**_ Not even _he_ had ever seen her shed a single tear before. Everyone was convinced it was impossible. But he wasn't all that surprised because everyone knew how attached the two were. Nyx had raised him from an egg, after all.

"…I can't _stand_ this…" the woman hissed angrily. "Whoever did this …I'll _kill_ them…"

She was in agony. Every time he took a breath she felt like she'd been stabbed. Every inhale was strangled and every exhale rattled and gurgled sickeningly, and it made her want to scream. Now and then one of the bandaged stumps that were once great, majestic wings twitched, and Nyx had to choke back another cry. There was no greater disgrace than for a dragon to be clipped of its wings for any reason. A flightless dragon was an image of crippled and faded strength, and it certainly wouldn't help Schlange's reputation with the other dragons; especially Osiris, the naturally wingless Egyptian Goldhorn.

"…do you think it could've been…_them_?" the black-cloaked man asked gently as Sakura and Maxu approached the dragon.

"I wouldn't doubt it for a moment." Nyx growled, wiping the beads of water from her eyes forcefully. "But we can't know until Schlange comes to again. Huoh-Long found him just before he lost consciousness. I hope…I hope he knows who did this to him…I _need_ to know…"

Jack fell silent. What was he supposed to say now? "…would…would you like me to send out troops to see if anyone's still around in the mountains?"

The woman laughed humorlessly. "Whoever did this knew what they were doing; do you seriously think they'd hang around after it was done? Even if it was just a random atta – no. This _wasn't_ a random attack. No one would waste this much power on hurting a dragon for spite…must've been an enemy, trying to _weaken_ me…"

"Must've been one of the stupid ones because by now they should've realized that things like this just make you angry," Jack said, smiling only a little. "And when you're angry, you don't hesitate to attack with everything you've got."

Nyx looked up at him and smiled bitterly. "…yeah."

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As the next day dawned, everyone's hopes were renewed when they saw that Schlange was healing well. His breathing wasn't as restrained or short as it had been, the bleeding had completely stopped and his eyes were now fully closed. Nyx still remained close by because she wanted to be the first one to speak with him when he came to. She needed to find out what happened before he discovered the extensive damage that still remained on his body, and especially his wings. She had no doubt that it would cause severe psychological damage to him, and it could affect his recollection of his no-doubt terrifying attack. Around midday he was moved into the citadel and laid out in the room at the top of the West Tower, the only tower room big enough to house a dragon and equipped with a small extension that functioned as a dragon's landing and taking-off platform.

The room was octagonal and around 20 feet across. The walls and floor were made of cold, gray stones and wooden beams supported the roof; a 25-foot spire, the second tallest point in the structure. A large, stained-glass, hinged floor-to-cieling window closed off the outside ledge-like platform, and a plainer window rested in the stones of each facet of the 8-sided wall. Nyx personally removed the heaviest, darkest curtains from a lower room and hung them in front of the arched panes to block out the sunlight. Schlange's wounds hadn't fully healed yet, but she would take no chances. The only light in the room would come from the old lamp hanging on a rusty chain from one of the rafters. It was the same shape as the room with a bulky, cream-colored candle melted fast to the iron it rested on. Intricately cut designs adorned the plain metal and cast enchanting patterns on the hard walls when lit. Nyx decided the dragon would appreciate more light, so she ordered a few tables and lots of candles to be brought up. The small, mostly wooden tables of all designs were placed against the walls where Schlange was unlikely to bump them from his resting place in the center of the room on several mattresses pulled from unused guest rooms downstairs. The candles were evenly distributed and lit quickly, filling the gloomy room with a soft, comforting glow.

Schlange was finally confirmed to be asleep instead of unconscious, so Huoh-Long and Yun-Xing left Nyx with him to take a break from their constant vigil. They told her she needn't worry about him dying on her, but she should keep an eye on him nevertheless because of the severity of the wounds. Also, they may have missed some other damage his attackers inflicted on him that would surface later on. So, Nyx remained faithfully by his side, watching and waiting.

Her patience finally paid off around dusk when Schlange's eyes cracked open the tiniest bit. Nyx crawled over the soft mattresses directly into his line of vision and spoke softly. "Schlange? Can you hear me?"

"…yeasss…" he rasped groggily. His voice was altered by the damage to his throat, but Nyx could tell that he was with her.

"Can you see me?" she asked again as her voice rose a little with excitement. His eyes weren't yet fully open, but they looked clear as diamonds compared to the previous day.

"…yes…" the dragon replied again with more strength.

"How do you feel?"

"…bad…lot of…pain…"

"Where?"

"…everywhere…"

"Don't worry, Schlange, you're safe now. The pain will be gone soon enough; soon Huoh-Long'll be around to give you enough painkiller to kill an elephant."

The dragon wheezed out a laugh, but regretted it when he winced with pain. His throat felt like it was on fire. "…why does it hurt so…so much?"

"Shh," his master said gently. "I just said not to worry right now, didn't I? Just…Just rest and don't strain yourself at all. If talking hurts, then I won't make you talk anymore."

"No…I'm fine…" Schlange said even more clearly. "But where am I?"

"In the West Tower, top room." she said. "It's December 27th, and it's about 6 o'clock at night, if you were wondering."

"…twenty…27th, you said?" he asked, eyes widening in alarm.

"Yes. You've been unconscious for the past day and a half." Nyx answered carefully.

"But…but it was the 26th when I…when I…" the dragon protested, nearing hysterics.

His master placed a white hand over his quivering mouth to quiet him as his eyes filled with fear. "Do you remember what happened? If you do, and you start getting worked up again, then I want you to stop, understand?"

"…yes…" he hissed weakly. "…it…it was him…"

"Who, Schlange?"

"_Him_…you know who I mean…"

Nyx closed her eyes slowly and took a long breath. "…Voldemort?"

"Yes…"

"Were there any others there? Death Eaters, maybe?"

"…yes, they must have been…they had masks and black hoods…must've been…"

Schlange's were starting to lose focus as he slipped back into the scarring memory.

"…Schlange. Look at me."

He did so reluctantly.

"…what did he do to you?"

"…he…cut me…burned me…crushed me…he…h-he…"

Nyx stared at the dragon, shivering as his mouth tried to form words. "…go on, if you can, please."

"…m-my…my wing…"

"…Schlange…" His eyes were welling up.

"…h-he ripped o-off m-my…my wi-wing…"

"…Schlange, stop…it's enough…" Huge, fat tears dripped off of the smooth, metallic scales onto the mattresses below. His eyes widened in terror as the memory came back to him.

"…m-my…h-h-he…n-no…no…"

"Stop…_please_…"

"…_no…**no…no…NO!"**_

Schlange snapped.

With a bellowing roar he thrashed his battered body violently as if he were fighting off a group of people. Hoisting himself up he clawed and bit at the air as Nyx jumped back against the wall in fear. The dragon snarled and hissed in rage, changing in an instant to one of agony as he put his weight on his crushed back foot. He limped forward as water poured from his eyes, whipping his tail around and emitting a moaning roar, chilling his master to the bone. In another moment, the beast twitched violently as if he'd been struck and snarled at his left. He convulsed again and snapped at his right. With a howl of fury, the dragon shook his head violently from one side to the other like a battering ram. Nyx saw the bandages over the wounds on his throat start to blossom crimson, and she jumped forward.

The woman caught the enraged, delirious dragon's head by the ram-like horns as it swung at her, and held on to it with immense difficulty. She forced it down to the ground and made him look straight at her face through the anguished tears.

"Snap out of it, Schlange!" Nyx begged as another bead of water escaped her eye. Another one followed as she stared into the dull, blinded red eyes of her favorite dragon. "…I'm sorry…" she whimpered as she cast a silent spell on him to rob him of his consciousness once again. The dragon's body seemed to crumple up and fall onto the pile of mattresses like an unwanted doll. Nyx's knees followed suit and she slumped down beside him weakly, crying bitter tears.

_Why did I have to push him? Why…? _She asked herself harshly. The woman laid herself on top of Schlange's unconscious form and continued weeping quietly for perhaps an hour, blaming herself for getting him hurt again. She hadn't cried like that in a long time, and she was glad she had done it once she was out of tears. Nyx started thinking about what happened to the tragically wounded dragon beside her, about why Voldemort would have attacked him so mercilessly, and what was to become of Schlange now. Her thoughts were broken like fragile glass when the door to the steps downward burst open.

"Lord Psycho!" the underling panted in a panicked voice. "The window…look…" He staggered over to the nearest window and pulled the curtains open as Nyx wandered over in a daze. The moment her red, puffy eyes fell on the thing the underling had been sent to alert her about, her face was wiped clean of any expression. The Dark Mark was hovering in the dark, clouded sky in front of her citadel.

Rage contorted Nyx's features as she dashed to the large stained-glass window leading outside and threw it open before stepping onto the ledge outside. She raised her hand in the air so that it aimed straight for the glowing green serpent-and-skull of the Dark Lord, eyes blazing. _**What** is he **thinking?**_

She bellowed an incantation no one in that time had ever heard spoken before: "KAEJUAI GALIFA RHIV YAHAN!"

A brilliant red light erupted from her fingertips like threads and soared off towards the green light. As they went, the threads began to weave together and form a mass, which began to take shape as it neared the Dark Mark rapidly. Nyx watched as the head and wings started sprouting up, becoming more defined and real looking as the threads multiplied, finally taking on the shape of a massive, majestic red dragon. The titanic, glowing creature's tail split off from its creator's fingertips and flew off to the Mark in the sky, letting out an unbelievably realistic battle roar. In a fantastic display of magical prowess, Nyx's dragon bit the snake's head off and smashed the skull into millions of pieces as if they were more than a sinister light show. The red dragon hovered in the space where the Dark Mark once sat, spread its wings proudly and bellowed in triumph before it's threads of light fell apart and it vanished into the darkening night.

A lone, hooded figure standing below the exciting scene now stared up at the blank sky in disgust. Voldemort narrowed his large, red eyes at the faltering red lights and saw something whitish floating down to him. He snatched it out of the air with a pale, spidery hand and saw by the light of his wand that it was a piece of parchment. He read the three words in the familiar handwriting, followed by a little face that winked and stuck it's tongue out at him at the same time, and smirked.

"_Nice Try. - Nyx"_

--- to be continued in Chapter 12 : The Goat and The Scorpion ---

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**Disclaimer: **Own not, profit not, sue not. (With exception of pretty much everybody in this chapter besides Voldy-poo, who is in about 4 sentences altogether. He's very mad at me for it, and now I must go hide somewhere.) 

**A/N:** ...o-ho-HO! And just what is "Nice Try" supposed to mean, hmmmm? ...bwahaha, I can't tell you yet. I think everyone's figured out by now that Nyx is either good buddies with or absolutely despises Voldemort...but which is it? Sadly, thou shalt not find out for quite some time. But when you do...-chuckles darkly- Nah, I shouldn't say anymore. Said too much already, probably. Oh well.

**General Notes:** 100 galleons is $482 USD, and 41 galleons 8 sickles 5 knuts is $200 USD. Just FYI. (Incidentally, I know this because there's a site you can go to where it tells you how many dollars a galleon/sickle/knut is worth and vice versa. If anyone wants the link I'll give it to you.)

I'll be doing an illustration of Nyx in her new, kick-ass armor because something tells me it might be a bit difficult to picture because the description's actually kinda vague. Same with the sword. And while I'm in that area of the chapter, all the fencing stuff Jack got is accurate. Trust me. I was gonna take fencing, but it didn't work out (-sadness-) and I did a project on it, so I know what I'm talking about. For those who have no idea what I wrote; foil, epee and saber are three different kinds of swords used in fencing, a bout is what you call a match, and if even Nyx can't beat Jack at it, he is DAMN good.

For those of you who have never heard ACDC's "Big Balls"...go find somewhere to hear it because you'll be on the floor laughing. I was. ...Actually, I shouldn't say that. If you have a sick, twisted mind like me and many other people, you'll be on the floor laughing.

And don't you feel just awful for Schlange? Me too. It was hard to write out his injuries and everything he did when he woke up and remembered his ordeal from the previous day. I kept making myself sad, so I made Nyx cry for him. It takes a LOT to make her cry, so that's why everybody was so astounded when she did so. It won't be the last time you see it happen, though, honestly.

The spell Nyx casts at the Dark Mark was created from my own made-up language (very complicated, so I won't tell you more right now), and it translates to "Death Begone From Here." This has no deeper meaning than "Death Begone From Here," so don't strain yourself to find one. It's just because the Dark Mark only appears when someone dies at the hands of a Death Eater (or Voldy-poo), and she's getting rid of it, so now it should make more sense. As another FYI, here's now it's meant to be pronounced: Kaejuai (KAY-zhuu-eye) Galifa (gah-LEE-fah) Rhiv (REEV) Yahan (yaa-HAAN).

**Final Words:** Aren't you happy I got this up so quickly? I debated about waiting a week just for the sake of keeping you all in suspense, but I decided I shoudl really make up for the 2 weeks or so when I didn't upload a thing. -bows- I hope you're happy with it. The title of the next chapter has to do with an interesting insight into my characters involving the Zodiac signs, which I've been researching to death in order to get it right. It'll give you a good look into how they "work" plus some foreshadowing that I'm not sure if anyone'll pick up right away. (-stares pointedly at hiya!-) Personally, I find the Zodiac stuff fascinating, even though it's not always completely accurate (-cough- sorry website,but Iconsider myself very strong-willed for a Pisces), and I'll have to admit I've had fun messing with my little creations' birthdays in order to get accurate results. Nyx worked right off the bat, and Jack was pretty darn close, but I'm having issues with Sakura and Maxu. Ah well. I have time to work on it.

If anyone has not been on my profile page, go there now and look under the "Updates" section. There's a link there to a portrait of Jack without his hood and whatnot, drawn by me, and I think you'll enjoy seeing it. I don't remember if I mentioned that being there before this, but I assure you that I wanted to...I just forgot. -pathetic- Oh well. Go look at it anyway.

Also, if I ever cease to update for a week or two, know that I did **NOT** stop writing this. I will **NEVER** stop writing this until I write the words "The End" instead of "To Be Continued," and that will only happen when it's really _the end_. So don't ever worry about me not finishing this, even if I go a bit slowly sometimes or have little "off weeks" where I get about 200 words totalwritten; I'll go crazy if I _don't_ complete this, even if I go crazy just trying to keep writing at the pace I do. Thanks for keeping up with me this far. -bows deeply-

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**--- k**avi**-s**ama** ---

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**

**hiya!** : Thanks much. Hooray! You're getting an account! -parties- When you do, feel free to send me a message with those ideas in them. If nothing else I wanna see how the story's coming across topeople and what they're making of it for my own benefit. That, and I might get a good idea from it. -tee hee- And yay for more Tom Riddle/Tommy boy (LMAO) fanfics! Sounds intriguing so far, so I'll _definitely_ be reading it when it's available. As far as ending suggestions go, I'd probably have to read the whole thing first. -hahaha- Seriously, though, I'm hesitant to give advice(although I'm honestly extremely flattered that you're asking for it, so thanks for boosting my confidence -heh-) because I don't know how well the ending to _this_ is gonna go yet. I _think _it'll work and it'll end up really great, but I can't know until I write it, post it and get feedback. Meaning, if I do a shitty job on _my_ ending and I give you bad advice for your ending and you listen to it and it's just as shitty as mine,we'll both feel bad; me for giving you bad advice, and you for listening to me. -ahem-

So...as of right now I guess the best advice I can give you would be to start posting it as soon as you can so I can read it (and other people, too), and then give my input. Even if you're not done with it, you could start off with a few chapters (or just go one by one or whatever) and see what kind of response you get from the readers. It might give you some really good ideas, or at least some confidence boosting (like what happened to me, heh), to help you improve or figure out how you want to end it.

I do get what you mean about not taking the cheap way and killing him, but not making it really sappy and "they lived happily ever after, the end, blargh." I guess any advice I could give would be to either find a happy medium between those twoor do something entirely different. That's kind of how this fic is gonna end, in a way: someone is going to die, but someone else is going to have a happy (although bittersweet at the same time)ending. Obviously I can't say who's gonna bite it and so on, but I think you get what I mean. Of course, like I said before, I'd have to read the fic itself to see if that would have any chance of working, but eh.

So, do what you want with the fic. It's _yours_, after all. -heh-Hopefully I gave you some ideas or helped otherwise. Whether or not you end up posting your fic before it's done or not is entirely up to you, but if I were you I'd put up some stuff before deciding that I'm completelydone with it - no ifs, ands or buts. Well, good luck and happy writing!

(...wow. 511 words to reply to one review. -Kavi's personal best- Ha ha ha.)


	12. Chapter 12: The Goat and The Scorpion

Chapter 12 – The Goat and The Scorpion

New Year's Eve had finally rolled around at the Weasley's humble home, and for once there was a lull in general activity. Mrs. Weasley was preoccupied in the kitchen as she prepared the night's meal for the large family, plus a few houseguests. Her twin boys, Fred and George, wouldn't be home until much, _much_ later as they were working overtime at their shop, Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. There was a colossal demand for their famous fireworks that night, and they'd never be able to close up shop even if they wanted to for all the crazed pyromaniacs tossing their money at them (not that they _minded _the sharp increase in profits…). Ginny was in her room finishing up the last bits of her holiday assignments, and her brother was seated in the family room with Harry and Hermione. Harry, who was spending the all-too-short vacation with the friendly family, was seated in a rather squishy armchair next to the sofa Ron was sprawled out across. Hermione, who was only spending the night, was seated on the floor next to the lit fireplace, petting her fluffy ginger cat Crookshanks. Remus Lupin sat somewhat lazily in another armchair on the other side of the fireplace, gazing into the embers pensively. Bill, the eldest Weasley boy, and Fleur Delacour, his fiancée, had (mercifully) gone out for a little walk before dinner. Mr. Weasley had gotten home about 10 minutes before, and was busy getting into some nice, warm slippers as his feet were rather chilly; his boots seemed to have sprung a leak on his way home, and some snow got in by his socks and melted. He'd only just made Ron move his feet so he could have a well-deserved seat on the couch near the fire when Hermione started up a conversation.

"Now that Mr. Weasley's here, there's something I wanted to mention," she said, glancing from the man she mentioned to Lupin.

"Mention away, Hermione," Mr. Weasley said cheerily, a side effect of his toasty warm toes.

"Have either of you ever heard of Sang Maudit Syndrome?"

The two adults in the room stared at her silently.

"Er…beg pardon?" Ron's father asked, giving her an odd look.

"Sang Maudit Syndrome," she repeated, scratching the cat's ears. "What happens when you're bitten by a vampire and a werewolf between the space of two full moons. Have you heard of it before?"

"Well, yes, of course," Mr. Weasley said quickly. "I was just surprised that you were learning about it in 6th year. I was under the impression only some students learned about it in 7th year, if not even later. Defense Against the Dark Arts, I suspect?"

"Well, sort of." Hermione replied slowly. She went on to explain Ariana Harthcrow, the infamous new girl; how she got to Hogwarts, Louis the post-delivered basilisk, how she and Harry and Ron came to be friends with her, and the 'special assignment' Snape gave her the last day of classes. "…and right before I left the room I saw she had a very peculiar expression on her face. She was staring at the page like she'd just watched herself die, and it sort of bothered me, so I went to the school library and found the same book Snape gave her" which she promptly produced from her bag lying a foot or two away "and I read everything about SMS. It's actually quite fascinating."

Ron snorted from the sofa. "I don't consider going mad and killing myself in 'a number of unusual and most often terribly unpleasant ways' _fascinating_, Hermione."

"You know that's not what I meant," she said a bit snappishly. "I meant it's interesting to read about all the odd things that happen to someone if they contract this, even if they _are_ really, really awful."

"I understand," Lupin spoke up for what seemed to be the first time all night. "It's like being a werewolf; people think it sounds intriguing, but when you actually live it it certainly isn't anything like reading about it in a book." He paused for a moment, and then added quickly, "Sang Maudit Syndrome is far worse, though, don't get me wrong. I'm just glad I was lucky and only got bitten _once_." He shuddered a little and seemed to sink even further into the armchair as if it could defend him from the horrible thought.

"That brings me to another point." Hermione continued. "I think from the look she was giving the page that Ariana's familiar with SMS, like maybe she knows someone who has it."

"Or she has it herself." Harry added.

"Either way I don't think she meant for anyone to find out about it." The bushy-haired girl said as Crookshanks went to find Mrs. Weasley and beg for food. "I suppose Dumbledore knows. Since SMS is sort of like being a werewolf, he of all people ought to know about…certain issues." She threw Lupin a significant look, and he somewhat half-nodded. "Anyway, I think Snape might have found out about it – if _she_ has it, of course – and gave her that particular assignment on purpose."

"Why one earth would Snape do that?" Mr. Weasley asked, genuinely confused.

"Because it's Snape." Ron replied simply.

His father gave him a look and asked Hermione, "But isn't Ariana in Slytherin? Why would he be…well, himself to someone in his own house?"

"I don't know right now," she replied with a small sigh. "I'm going to ask her about it when we get back to school."

"Are you sure that's a wise idea?" Lupin interrupted pointedly. "Some people are a bit touchy with things like that. She might not want anyone to know because she's embarrassed by it, or thinks people will hate or mistrust her if they know what she is. I know from experience."

"I know, but just because she's got a problem doesn't mean she's _bad_ or anything," Hermione protested gently.

Lupin laughed quietly. "Harry was saying something similar to that to me the other day."

"Well, still, she didn't _choose_ to be like that, just like you didn't choose to be a werewolf," the girl continued. "From what I've seen she's perfectly harmless, just like you as long as you have the Wolfsbane potion at the right time. It's not like either of you are horrible monsters that need to be locked up and never seen again, or shunned by the world. You're just normal people with bad luck!"

The werewolf smiled and said softly, "I believe I've been proven wrong. I'm sure she'd be glad to hear that from anyone, especially you since you're her friend. But be careful how you ask about it, and keep in mind that not everyone appreciates pity parties."

"Thanks, I'll keep it in mind," Hermione said. "I feel bad for her a lot of the time anyway, though. Everyone in her house hates her because she's friends with the three of us, and Hagrid too."

"Ah, the old 'Purebloods Only' thing with the Slytherins, eh?" Mr. Weasley commented bemusedly. "Do they give her grief for it?"

"Sometimes," Harry replied. "Most of the time they just give her dirty looks everywhere she goes. _Especially_ when she's with us."

"Too right," Ron chuckled. "She told us they've said it's bad enough she's associating with a Weasley – the Muggle-Loving Pureblood Traitors – and that she's friends with Harry Potter – and you wouldn't want to hear the names they've called _him_ – but she hangs around with Hermione – the Know-It-All foul-word-for-a-Muggle-born."

"And it doesn't bother her?" Lupin asked with a hint of surprise.

"Not a bit," Hermione answered cheerfully. "She doesn't particularly like most of the people in her house – she specifically thinks Draco Malfoy's a sniveling little prat – so she doesn't care whether they love her or hate her. I think one of the professors said something about 'she's the first Slytherin to have friends outside his or her own house in decades.'"

"Good for her," the head of the Weasley family said brightly. "Sounds like she'd get on with the rest of us well. Maybe you can bring her over for dinner sometime, Ron."

"Dunno how she'd take that," the redhead said a bit sheepishly. "She might think I'm subtly asking her out or something."

Hermione suddenly laughed. "Oh, no, I don't think so. I'm _sure_ she's seen enough to know you're _quite_ taken."

"And just what's _that _supposed to mean?" Ron asked defensively as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"Back to Ariana and her supposed little problem," Mr. Weasley interjected as soon as he saw where _this_ was heading. "The Ministry's been awfully worked up about the fact that anyone with SMS is impossible to kill or restrain properly, so they expect You-Know-Who's dying to get even _one_ on his side."

"I thought of that, too," Harry said frankly. "I also thought that he'd be the type to go so far as to make his own SMs rather than try to recruit somebody with it already…"

"I certainly hope not," Lupin added with a shiver. "It's bad enough he's got most of the werewolves supporting him, not to mention he's probably got a few vampires at least…I'm still just glad I don't have it, or know anybody that has it. Personally, I'd rather be dead."

"From the sounds of it, me too," Ron said, looking a bit nervous. "Can't imagine what it'd be like…"

"I can. I read all about it, after all." The girl said with a glance at the redhead. "There isn't a single good point about it that isn't balanced out by a bad point. For example, they have eternal youth, but the insanity thing certainly isn't worth it. It's no surprise it happens though; I don't think _I'd_ stay sane if everyone I cared about died while I had to keep living…"

A sinister, black shape on the other side of the window laughed humorlessly as it collected snowflakes and watched the people inside.

"_You have **no idea**, you silly little girl…"_

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On the other side of the world, a similar gathering was occurring in the conservatory of Nyx's citadel. The New Year's Party was always held in that particular room for several reasons: 1. over half of the walls and roof were made of glass, 2. the spectacular view to be seen through the glass was to die for, 3. the number of interesting and attractive plants scattered about, 4. the spectacular white marble fountain at the center of the room shaped like a dragon and spouting the clearest water anyone had ever seen, 5. the attractive green-and-white marble theme of the room, accented by gold pots and light fixtures and such as well as green upholstery on the furniture, 6. it was one of the warmest rooms in the establishment, and 7. everyone could fit inside it at one time, even Schlange.

But it was the lack of that dragon that cast a shadow of grief over the group of 5 (6 if Louis was included) gathered in the room. Schlange was not recovering well at all. His wounds were nowhere near healed, though he didn't seem to be in pain, but no one could be sure; he had been in a comatose state ever since his episode with Nyx a few days before. It seemed to be for the better, though, as his master couldn't stop blaming herself for getting him messed up even worse than he'd already been. Many tried to convince her that it would've happened if she'd been there or not – the trauma was just too great for the poor creature to bear silently – but she wouldn't hear it. Not to mention the horror and intense sadness the other dragons felt when they heard of the fate of Schlange's wings. It was especially painful now because the dragon's Christmas gift to everyone was an expertly choreographed aerial show, complete with pyrotechnics and Schlange as the main participant. That was a long-lost dream, now. Huoh-Long only prayed that when he woke again he would be all right and not brain-dead or without his memory. That happened sometimes when dragons suffer to that extreme, she said. Nyx begged her to be wrong.

But tonight, she decided, was to be a fun night. She hated to think it, but they would have to keep their minds off the terrorized dragon and on their own happiness, just for the one night. Nyx felt like she'd explode if she didn't lighten up soon, and from her experiences in past years a party was just the thing to do it.

"Drinks on the house, as you all ordered," Edgar said cheerfully as he floated around to deliver the various beverages. "I'll bring you as many refills as you like, so long as you don't get drunk as skunks and start acting like fools." He gave a significant look to Jack seated in a puffy green recliner. He still hadn't gotten over his distaste at the karaoke session.

"That'll do, butler," Nyx said with a grin from her seat in a recliner to match Jack's and placed across from it so that they faced each other. She took a sip of her beloved Bloody Mary and glanced at her two underage minions glaring at her from the loveseat parallel to her and Jack and to her left, a part of the matching set also consisting of the two recliners and a few other items in the room. Across from Maxu and Sakura was the large fountain and a tiny waterfall pouring from it and landing in a good-sized 'bowl' that lay flush with the marble floor. In the bowl were a few tiny fish swimming about carelessly as Louis eyed them.

Nyx tapped her foot on the basilisk's tail 'on accident' as she warned him, _"Don't even think about it."_

"_I wasn't…"_ he replied with an annoyed sigh. He slithered closer to his mummy's chair and got himself up on her lap with some difficulty. _"I think I'm getting fat, mummy."_

"_I agree," _she hissed as she repositioned his chubby little body so he wasn't putting pressure on her stomach. _"You need to go on a diet and get some exercise. No more riding around on my shoulders, and no more cherries. …and no more chocolates either, while I'm at it."_

The snake gaped at her, horrified. He started spluttering excuses and protests pathetically, but Nyx shushed him when she saw Maxu preparing to speak.

"So, are we still doing fireworks this year?" he asked, looking more than a little concerned. The fireworks were his favorite part of the night; from their position in the conservatory behind the massive windows, they had a perfect view of the mountains and the large airspace that simply _needed_ to be filled with explosions of color and noise.

"As of this moment, yes." The woman in the magnificent armor replied. "Unless anything suspicious is reported before we light them, they'll go off without a hitch if _I_ have anything to say about it."

"So where'd you buy them this year?" Jack asked after taking a quick sip of his wine while no one looked his way.

"'Weasley's Wizarding Weasels'…no, that can't be right. Was it Wizzles?…Wuzzles, maybe? …well, something like that anyway." Nyx answered with the wave of an airy hand. "Small business, but _very_ profitable. Owned by two 19-year-old twins, interestingly enough. Believe I'm 'friends' with their younger brother."

"How come _you_ haven't got a business?" Sakura asked Maxu slyly as she twisted her green tea-filled martini glass between her fingers. "You're the same age as they are, right?"

"Well, yeah, but I've never given a single thought to running a business." He said, giving her a puzzled look. "What made you think I ever did?"

"Oh, nothing," she sighed carelessly. "I just thought perhaps since you're the same age as they are you'd –"

"Age has nothing to do with it." Jack interrupted simply.

"Well I was just saying that maybe he might've considered getting a proper job to supplement this one for later on in life," the girl explained, sounding a bit annoyed with the black-cloaked man.

"What makes you think he'll ever need another job? He'll be working for me until he dies…or gets fired…or quits, but as far as I'm concerned it's the same as me firing him, and he'd still end up cremated as per protocol." Nyx said with a raised eyebrow. "Same for the rest of you, I should think."

"I'm just _saying_ that if anything should happen he'd have something to fall back on in case he ever needs to support a family or something," Sakura blurted quickly. She wasn't keen on being interrupted again.

"_Family?"_ Maxu yelped. "Who ever said I wanted to raise a family?"

"Who wouldn't?" the Japanese girl asked in disbelief.

Nyx waved at her. "I see no profit in it for me, thank you very much."

Sakura made an exasperated noise and argued, "How can you say such a thing? Haven't you ever thought of how wonderful it would feel to have a sweet little baby to take care of, and a good-looking loving husband, and a nice house, and a good job, and –"

"Yes," her master cut in. "And it made me sick. I don't care much for children; they're too noisy and messy. I already have a nice house, if you can properly call this a house," she gestured to her surroundings with a bemused grin, "I'm perfectly happy with my job, and as far as the 'good-looking loving husband' goes…" Nyx sighed after a moment of thought. "Let's just say I can think of about one person who could ever fit that description for me."

"Ooooooh," Sakura said very much like a giddy schoolgirl and grinned slyly at the woman. "Who is it?" Maxu rolled his eyes and Jack felt his pulse increase sharply.

"Someone who's been dead for longer than you've been alive." Nyx said colorlessly before draining her Bloody Mary. A long silence followed as the others stared at her with a hint of pity.

"Well…" Sakura continued tentatively. "If you happened to meet a guy you like in the future, do you think you'd reconsider the settling down and having a family thing?"

The woman laughed. "Trust me, if I ever meet a man I'd even _consider _marrying, he wouldn't be very keen on 'the settling down and having a family thing' either. If, however, I chanced to meet someone I really loved, but he wanted a nice big, happy family and so on, I may be able to compromise. But only in an _extreme_ case."

Sakura straightened herself up and crossed her arms over her chest like she meant business. "Well if you're going to find somebody, Lord Psycho, you better do it soon! Nobody wants to marry an old maid, you know!"

"_I beg your pardon?"_ Nyx blurted as she shot the teenager an incredulous look and Maxu burst into quickly stifled laughter. "Who ever said I was an old maid?"

"I'm not calling you old," she replied carefully. "I'm only saying if you wait too long…well, men will lose interest." Nyx snorted and muttered something to Louis, who laughed in reply. "All right then, what will you be on the 13th?"

"Another year older." Her master replied dryly.

"That's not what I meant!" she wailed, flailing her arms around like a toddler having a temper tantrum.

"I know, I know," Nyx said, chuckling. "But I'm not telling you how old I am."

"Oh," Sakura sighed in a very understanding voice. "You're in denial. What, are you hitting 30 or something?"

"I'm _not_ in _denial_!" the other spat indignantly. "I just know you'd never believe me if I told you my age!"

Her three underlings gave her a look that plainly stated, 'Try me.'

She sighed and snapped, "Fine. How old do I _look_?"

Maxu studied her for a while before saying, "Thirty at maximum, 24 at minimum. If I had to bet money on it I'd say…27." He paused to stare at her in anticipation. "…was I close?"

Nyx stared back at him blankly…then without warning exploded into laughter. A minute or so later she was barely able to choke out, "Not even close."

As the American sulked, Sakura asked with increasing curiosity, "Was he too low or too high?"

"Must be too low because she already said a while ago that she's older than me," Jack added after he finished his wine in a hearty gulp.

"And you're 24, right?"

"Twenty-_five_, idiot." He snapped back. "Turned it on November 11th, remember?"

"Oh, sorry!" Sakura genuinely apologized. "…wait a minute. You're a Scorpio!"

_Oh, gods, what have I **done**?_ Jack moaned to himself. "…yes indeed…"

"Ooh! Ooh! Wait two minutes! I'll be right back!" she said excitedly as she hopped down off the couch and sprang out of the room.

Nyx turned to look at her second-in-command with a criticizing eye. "Way to go, dumbass."

"I'm sorry, it slipped out!" he half-wailed in apology.

Getting Sakura started on the Zodiac and all that other superstitious crap she lived by was a first-class offense in Nyx's mind. Last year, soon after she started working for her, the girl had gone on a long rant about each of their sign's characteristics, pointing out good and bad points alike. Maxu was especially irked when he heard how immovably stubborn he was supposed to be as he was a Leo. Not to mention Sakura had tried to play matchmaker once before, going by her silly Zodiac compatibility guide, and Nyx sincerely hoped she wouldn't do it again. The awkwardness wasn't worth the laughs.

As she dashed back into the conservatory a minute or so later, the blue-haired girl chirped, "I got a new book on it, and it's _way_ more detailed than the last one! In here, it has not only the sun signs but also the moon and ascending signs, all based on your exact date of birth!" She hopped back onto the loveseat, grinning. "Isn't it exciting?"

It took all of their willpower to nod and say, "Sure."

"Okay," she muttered to herself as she opened the brilliantly shimmering purple book. "I'll start with Evil Minion because he reminded me of it…" Jack looked terrified. After a minute of flipping through pages rapidly and speed-reading impressively, Sakura said, "Alright, got it. According to this, your sun sign is Scorpio – but you already knew that – your moon sign is Capricorn, and your ascending sign is also Capricorn."

"Question." Maxu interrupted with a totally uncomprehending look on his face. "What's the difference between the signs?"

The girl seated next to him thought for a moment. "Well…the sun sign gives you the most general information about yourself, the moon sign deals with your emotions and such, and the ascending sign gives you more insight to yourself. I guess that's the simplest way to describe it." She paused to see if he understood, and she took his shrug as an affirmative, and then bent over the book as she began again. "Anyway, about Evil Minion…"

"Sun in Scorpio typically means a strong-willed, secretive, possessive, vengeful, passionate individual. Most are very inquisitive and interested in how things work, especially people. They are stubborn, but also tenacious, so they often accomplish many things in life that they set out to do. However, they have a tendency to manipulate and control, and when they want answers they will persist until they obtain them. Scorpios react to everything emotionally and so their emotions are the strongest motivational factor in their behavior, but they do not tend to wear their hearts on their sleeves. They often desire dominance in relationships and rarely exhibit emotions openly. Many appear mysterious and enigmatic because even if they seem open, they always hold something back. Scorpios do not take kindly to abuse or manipulation and typically react to it with sarcasm and vengefulness. They are not naturally combative, but can be if the need arises. They cherish their privacy and rarely let people get to know them beyond a certain point. Scorpios have fierce determination when they desire something or someone, and are neither willing nor gracious losers if they fail to obtain it. They are not arrogant, although they often exhibit a self-sufficiency that implies there isn't much they don't already know.

"In the romance area, male Scorpios are very persuasive and do not give up easily if they have their sights set on a particular woman. They always give 100 perfect in everything, so they expect the same from their spouse or girlfriend, yet they prefer to control them at the same time. Revenge and jealousy will surface if they are not succeeding in their love life, like other aspects of their lives.

"Moon in Capricorn usually means a reserved, grasping, stable, structured and self-conscious person. They are not emotionally spontaneous and rarely jump into long-term relationships without thinking it through. They are usually unwilling to discuss their own problems although they readily help with the problems of others. They find it hard to feel content on the inside and have a great amount of difficulty expressing their deepest emotions, and have a strong fear of rejection. When it comes to romance and marriage, it may take them longer to find someone they can both love and trust. Capricorn moons are often most interested in accomplishing personal goals and are often very intelligent. But they have a tendency to harbor anger without allowing for some kind of emotional release, leading to depression and other problems.

"Capricorn in the ascending sign typically indicates someone who accepts responsibility, retains a youthful appearance through life, and has an elongated face. They usually don't have easygoing, 'take me as I am' attitudes and are much more comfortable with formality. Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, and this often indicates a difficult birth or a restricted childhood. They are apt to be disappointed with some part of their personality or appearance and may develop unhealthy behaviors to contradict them, such as self-denial and losing themselves to hedonistic pleasures. They often have many fears and are very insecure.

"…and that's all." Sakura finally finished. She looked rather accomplished as she watched Jack for some kind of response. All she could see were his piercing blue eyes staring back at her with a raised eyebrow barely concealed by the head wrap. "Does that sound like you?" she asked curiously.

"Um…" Jack muttered evasively. "Parts of it, yes, but other parts I disagree with."

"Oh really?" the Japanese girl inquired with raised eyebrows. "Which parts do you disagree with?"

"I don't think I'm particularly self-conscious or insecure about anything." He replied confidently.

"Then how come you wear that stupid wrap-thingy all the time?" Sakura asked critically. "Honestly, if you hide your face all the time it must be because you don't like how it looks."

"That's got nothing to do with it." He snapped back. "I'm perfectly comfortable with how I look. I keep my appearance and identity hidden for a _completely_ different reason."

"And what might that be?" she pressed with a coy little grin.

"It's none of your business, that's what it is," Jack replied simply. "Doesn't concern you at all. If you want to see what I look like that badly you're going to have to come over here and pull this thing off my head yourself." He tugged gently on one end of the wrap dangling out of his hood. Nyx knew exactly what he was talking about, so when Sakura opened her mouth to speak, her master cut her off.

"And what about you, Sakura?" she asked conversationally. "What's _your_ little sign thing say about you?"

She looked a bit disappointed that the conversation got off her bugging Jack, but she seemed eager to share her information. "Well, I'm a Pisces-Taurus-Virgo because my birthday's on March 4th, and I'll start with the sun sign as usual.

"Sun in Pisces is a shy, vulnerable, unrealistic, compassionate, unstable, theatrical risk-taker. They often find it hard to deal with people and situations that do not live up to their idealized images, not because they can't see clearly, but because they don't want to accept things as they really are. They readily adapt to change, making them excellent survivors, but also making them vulnerable to the demands and influences of other people. They are sensitive and identify easily with the feelings of others, sometimes allowing them to gain an advantage over those they understand the most. The symbol for Pisces is two fish swimming in opposite directions, representing the ultimate choice all Pisces must face: to be strong and overcome their weaknesses, or to fall victim to them. They react emotionally to everything, and are fair-minded and compassionate and therefore not unwilling to bend unbreakable rules if a situation demands a more humane approach. Most are shy and would rather impersonate someone else than be themselves, so many become actors, writers, artists and dreamers.

"Female Pisceans are feminine, intuitive, responsive and sensual, drawn to creative subjects. They are empathetic to people with problems and often fantasize and act out their desires.

"People with moon in Taurus usually require tangible proof of affection from those they have relationships with, and they always try to satisfy their desires whenever the opportunity presents itself. They do not take broken promises well and have excellent memories. They may forgive, but they rarely forget, sometimes remembering personal insults for years.

"People with Virgo in ascending are also very changeable and find it hard to accept things the way they are. In public, they are prone to flamboyant displays of affection and are often very talkative. They're extremely curious and desire to both spread their own ideas and information, as well as collect others ideas and information as well. They love to share this information with anyone who is willing to listen. Virgo ascendants prefer to keep busy and be useful because sitting around doing nothing makes them nervous and irritable."

Sakura took a moment to catch her breath and finish her tea. "I can honestly say that describes me pretty well. I know I have my inherent faults, but at least I'm not ashamed to admit it." She gave Jack a pointed look. He just glared at her.

"I agree with the 'often very talkative' part," Maxu said with an amused grin.

The girl whapped him with her fan again. "All right then, wise guy, how about I tell you all about _your_ signs?"

"No thanks, I'm good." He yawned a bit rudely.

Sakura ignored him and asked, "Your birthday's on July 26th, right? That makes you a Leo-Sagittarius-Libra.

"Sun in Leo means you're an egotistical, flamboyant, selfish, optimistic attention-seeker. Leos like to play hero although sometimes they don't really know what help is needed and they turn out to be useless to those they were trying to help. Like Scorpios, Leos are stubborn but also tenacious. Their tenacity is shown in intense loyalty to friends and loved ones, and their patience and determination when working on a meaningful project. Their stubbornness can be blamed on their ego, especially is someone demands that they change their behavior or thinking. Even when given irrefutable evidence that they are wrong, they cling to bad relationships and incorrect ideas simply because their egos will not allow them to admit being wrong. If insulted or abused, they will not forget it unless the person responsible sincerely and humbly asks for forgiveness. They generally have an opinion on everything and never hesitate to express it. Leos tend to 'shoot first and ask questions later.' They love life, though, and love to make it as enjoyable as possible for everyone else. They are enthusiastic and cheerful and make great entertainers. They are attracted to fun, exciting things and it's difficult for them to accept that boring, mundane chores also exist in life.

"Leo males are extremely attractive to women. They are easily noticed in a crowd and usually get a lot of attention. They are showmen, flashy and flamboyant, and can be careless at times though they are also masters at covering up mistakes or anything else. They are extroverts, love to laugh, outgoing and love the best of everything. They have high opinions of themselves and want your spouse or girlfriend to feed their large egos.

"Moon in Sagittarius typically means an idealistic, liberated, cheerful, outspoken, humorous and restless person. They have a risk-taking, adventurous spirit that allows them to succeed where more cautious people would be afraid to try. They are open and honest, although sometimes_ too_ honest. They are often impressed by people with power and status, and tend to associate with them for their own advancement. They are concerned with making an impression on others and are sometimes guilty of inflating their knowledge and importance. They make good performers, and are extremely loyal.

"Libra in ascending is…hang on…"

Sakura started flipping through pages more than usual, scanning each quickly but carefully.

"Libra Ascendant, now where did you go…"

More pages turned with increasing force.

"…I saw it a minute ago…don't even _joke_ with me that it's not in here…"

A page nearly tore she turned it so hard.

"…**_DAMMIT!_** I paid _good money_ for this book, and you're telling me something's _missing_? What a piece of CRAP!"

Nyx stifled a chuckle. "I'm sure it was an honest mistake."

"Would be nice if you were so understanding when we screw up," Jack hissed at her. She ignored him.

Maxu patted the teenager on the back sympathetically. "That's all right. I'll just be kept in suspense until you find somewhere where it says about Libra Ascendant or whatever."

Sakura thanked him for his understanding, but still didn't look encouraged. That usually happened when something disappointed her.

"Am I in there?" Nyx piped up to get her back in a good mood.

"January 13th, right?" she asked somewhat listlessly. "Capricorn-Capricorn-Cancer. Sun in Capricorn means you're mature, ambitious, responsible, designing, traditional and a goal-seeker. They're often blinded by their own ambition and obsessed with their goals, and sometimes adopt the philosophy that the end justifies the means. They love to accomplish things and intend to get them done one way or another, and they're usually very talented at it. They aspire towards positions of power and authority and admire those already holding them. They want to be admired and respected, so they never show weakness or ineffectiveness. This false pride makes it hard for them to accept being wrong or to ask others for help. Though they compete aggressively and appear sure of themselves, they harbor an inner lack of confidence which makes them insecure and defensive. They see this insecurity and these fears as weaknesses and try their best to hide them, making it hard for others to get to know them. Capricorns react to everything by assessing it's worth, as in whether it will benefit them in any way. They will gladly work long and hard to get what they want or see as a gain for themselves. They have a good sense of humor but will not tolerate being ridiculed in any form; those who injure a Capricorn will soon learn the error of their ways. Capricorns need to know and understand the limits of all aspects of life, because once they are understood it s easier to manipulate them. They are unusually mature as children, and often look older when they are young. But, when they actually become older the reverse occurs and they keep their youthful appearance well into old age.

"Capricorn women are not easy to figure out and tend to turn on and off frequently. They are really just the type that is afraid to fall in love with the wrong person, but when they do find the right man they will be true blue partners. They are willing to do anything for their lover as long as their needs are satisfied. You take good care of yourself, dressing neatly in a classy, somewhat formal way. You also like to keep busy and take life quite seriously.

"I already told you about Capricorn in Moon because Evil Minion's one, so I'll go to Cancer Ascending. They typically seek direction and are often vulnerable. They are dedicated to satisfying their personal ambitions, and often hesitate to reveal their true goals until they are certain of success. There is the potential that they will have traumatic partnerships, especially in marriage. Many prefer to marry later on in life and to select older or more mature partners. They often try to hide their vulnerability with forcefulness, although it only works in rare cases."

Sakura fell silent as she stared at the book like it was making a face at her. "I'll admit it's very accurate and detailed and all, but there's just no excuse for having anything _missing_," she grumbled off-topic.

"So, what do you think, Lord Psycho?" Maxu asked his master loudly as he turned towards her.

She was gazing at the fish in the bowl by her feet. Two white fish were chasing around a little black fish like it was a convicted criminal. She pitied it. She knew what it was like to be in its place…

"…Lord Psycho?"

"What?"

"Did you hear what Sakura said?"

"Yes. I'm a bit…unnerved by it."

"So, that sounded exactly like you?"

"Disturbingly so…"

"Huh. I don't get what's 'disturbing' about it…"

"If you were me, you would."

"What's that supposed to – "

"What would the signs be for someone born today?"

Sakura stared at her master quizzically. "Any reason, or are you just curious?"

"I once knew someone born today, a very long time ago." Nyx replied wistfully before hissing her permission for Louis to eat the two white fish. He did it immediately, as quietly and efficiently as possible. No one noticed what happened.

The Japanese girl consulted her book again, seeming to be in a much better mood. "Capricorn-Scorpio-Cancer. So, everything's the same as yours except for Scorpio in Moon, so I'll stick with that one. They're brooding, intense, motivated, dominating, spiteful, loyal, creative and suspicious. If they are subjected to emotional manipulation or deprivation in childhood, they are not going to reveal their vulnerability by openly expressing their feelings or needs. If they are raised in a non-threatening environment, they will probably emerge as mild mannered, easy to get along with adults. There is no denying the potential for hedonism, possessiveness, jealousy, and revenge in these individuals, though not all of them give in to these destructive behaviors. They are extremely tenacious and surprisingly able to overcome adversity. Instinctive understanding of human motivation and behavior gives them an emotional advantage, a conscious or subconscious way to control themselves as well as others. The mistake many of them make is being so intent on controlling others that they never learn to effectively control themselves."

To their surprise, Nyx's response was to lean back in the chair and laugh. "If that doesn't sound like him I must have an extra head growing out of my ass."

"Ohhhhh…it was a _guy_?" Sakura asked excitedly. "Well, male Capricorns are the most persistent when it comes to love, never take no for an answer, and never go away empty handed. Their animal tendencies tend to come out in the bedroom, though they are not cruel – just energetic."

Nyx let out a bark of laughter. Sakura ignored her and continued.

"They want their partners to be loyal friends, but will never accept their criticism. They seek love through physical passion rather than being loveable. Unlike most men, when they become Old Goats they still have a strong sex drive…and just _what_ is so funny?"

Nyx was about to fall onto the floor, shaking with silent laughter for reasons they were unaware of. In a moment or two after she calmed down, her excuse was rather disappointing: "…I think you had to know him to find that 'Old Goat' line as funny as I did." And she believed she was quite right. _…so **that's** what goes through his mind nowadays. Interesting. 70 this year, aren't you? Bah, you're still a toddler to me. …can't wait to call you an Old Goat sometime…the look on your face will be **priceless**…pity I haven't the foggiest how to use a camera…maybe that's for the better; I think you'd be too busy trying to shove it down my throat to let me get away with taking a picture with it…_

"Speaking of which, remember what I was saying to you before about getting yourself a guy?" the teenager continued as Nyx came out of her thoughts. "Well they have a chart in here that – "

"NO!" the two young men yelled in a simultaneous panic. "BLOODY HELL, NO! NOT _EVER_!"

Sakura glared at them indignantly. "I didn't even finish the sentence!"

"Oh, don't bother, we know what you were doing," Maxu chuckled nervously.

"Yeah, I'm bloody surprised it's not a banned subject around here yet," Jack chimed in looking genuinely terrified.

"Oh, _grow up_!" the girl spat. "Lord Psycho isn't flipping out over it!"

Nyx stared at her from the chair, wincing slightly. "I won't lie to you, I'm not looking forward to the topic, but if you really _must_…"

"WHAT?" the American and the cloaked man yelped. "What have you been _drinking_, woman?"

A minute or two later the pair decided it was safe to crawl back into the room again after two Avada Kedavra's destroyed a potted plant near the door. Sakura was blissfully ignorant of the tragedy that had nearly occurred as she pored over the several pages of charts.

"Hey, guess what." She said with a mischievous grin.

"What?" Nyx said more venomously than she meant to as she watched her second-in-command and Grand General creep back to their seats, shaken.

"Lord Psycho and Evil Minion are highly compatible."

Maxu almost choked when his drink went down the wrong pipe on account of the sudden burst of laughter that escaped him. Jack looked half embarrassed and half hopeful as he glanced at his master to see how she took the old news this time. She looked little different than she had before it was said; surly and bored.

"You said that the last time we got on this topic." She said neutrally.

"I know, but I figured you forgot by now." The teenager replied in a much-too-chipper tone. "So, I think you two should give it a shot, especially because of the 'Old Maid' thing I pointed out before."

"You said _that_ the last time, too." Nyx added. "And my response is the same." With that, the woman stared straight at her and laughed heartily at her, not with her. The moment she finished, she fell totally silent and turned the blank stare into a grim glare. The master raised her glass to her lips to take a long drink, and to her immense displeasure found it empty. "Edgaaar!" she hollered pathetically.

The ghost floated in almost as if he were waiting outside the door for a summons. Before he could ask what she wanted, she thrust the glass in his general direction without a word. Edgar pondered it for a moment before snatching it and leaving with as much communication as he'd received, and with a bit of a temper as well.

"What do you think of it?" Sakura asked Jack once the butler was out of sight. "You didn't laugh at me the last time, and you're not doing it now." A pause. "Matter of fact you haven't said a thing."

"That's in my best interest," the other said with an honest nod.

"Still, it's not healthy to hold in your emotions like that, you know." She pressed, wagging a finger at him. "That's one of the biggest problems with Scorpios. Leads to depression sometimes."

Jack raised a sly eyebrow at her. "You seem awfully concerned. What's the compatibility between _us_, I wonder?"

The girl gave a little snort and snapped, "Extremely high, but that has nothing to do with it."

Before she could finish her retort, Jack groaned and leaned back in the chair, holding his head almost in agony. He jerked forward when Sakura's sandal him in the stomach and wondered what she was expecting him to do – surely not jump for joy? He wasn't so certain when she stomped over to him to retrieve her shoe, looking very hurt and angry. She pondered for a moment whether to hit him with it again at such a close range and risk him hitting her at the same time. She knew he'd do it, too; he did it almost a year ago to prove that he wasn't the type who hesitates to hit girls, _especially_ if they're asking for it. Sakura decided it wasn't worth the bruising and slipped the sandal back on as she went to get her empty glass.

"I need a refill." She said colorlessly before stalking out of the room and down the hall.

Nyx thought she might've felt a pang of guilt for her. They weren't being terribly nice to her, although they knew she was aware of the general dislike for the entire Zodiac subject just because she was so overzealous about it. She decided to go against her Zodiacal "unsympathetic" nature, for just one night.

"When she comes back in we'd better apologize." She said. "She looked pretty upset." They nodded in silent agreement, though she wasn't sure how sincere it was.

Edgar returned not a second after she said this, glancing behind himself curiously as he delivered the fresh Bloody Mary. "Where's Sakura off to?"

"She said she was getting a refill." Nyx answered quietly. The semitransparent butler nodded knowingly. She must have been cooling off somewhere because she knew Edgar was coming back shortly, so she could've asked for a refill from him. "If you see her don't say anything unless she does first; she's a bit upset."

"What did you do now?" the old man huffed condescendingly.

"She was going on about the Zodiac again." Jack said from the other chair.

"Oh," Edgar muttered, now looking at his master sympathetically. He kept his birthday and his age confidential anyway, but he was never in any kind of mood to hear about that drivel.

"We're apologizing this time, though," Nyx added with a glance to her other minions. "…_Right_?"

"Yes," Jack muttered. Maxu was apparently too interested in Sakura's book to hear a word she said.

He was looking over the Pisces chart, and with a stab of guilt saw that Pisces-Leo was one of the worst matches on the page. Ever since Nyx took her in, Sakura had been chasing after him. He told her several times already that he didn't feel the same way about her, but she wouldn't hear it. All she said was that she was bound to grow on him eventually. Maxu admired her optimism and her determination, but if he didn't like her he simply didn't like her. Normally he was perfectly happy to be friends with her, despite those days where she was being annoying for whatever reason, but it just didn't 'click' between them. He certainly didn't think it could be forced either, so no matter how much she tried to 'grow on him,' if it didn't work it just didn't work.

_That must be part of why she's so upset, _he thought sadly. _I already told her there are plenty of other guys in the world besides me. There's bound to be **someone** who'd be crazy about her from the start. He'd be much better for her than me…_ He laughed inwardly. _Evil Minion there has a better chance with Lord Psycho than she has with me, and I don't know how much even that is. It'd be kinda funny to see them together like that …_ Maxu laughed to himself again. _The poor guy'd be on a leash, though, she controls him so much…Well, then again, maybe he's happy that way. I guess some people don't mind basically being a slave to the person they love…_

The American paused to look up from the book at his master, hissing and rasping to Louis about who knows what, and then to Jack, watching her affectionately and totally unaware that his coworker was looking at him.

…_hmph. Kinky bastard._

------------------------------------------------------------

About an hour later, Sakura returned, bright and happy as ever and seemingly with amnesia. She didn't say another word about signs or compatibility for the rest of the night to everyone's relief. Nyx assumed she took the hint that they'd heard enough for one night and she decided to drop it for her own benefit. So, no one ended up apologizing, but it may have been better that no one mentioned it again.

For another hour or so after she rejoined them, the group made small talk about recent news, an ethical discussion or two, and eventually landing on a conversation about whether it's better to die peacefully in your sleep or in considerable pain but surrounded by good friends and having a hell of a good time.

"…has anyone noticed how unnaturally serious this has gotten for a holiday?" Nyx interrupted just as Maxu was about to go into another rant.

"…yeah." Jack said slowly. "What's wrong with us?"

"…Let's just do fireworks and go to bed. We must all be getting ill." The woman continued briskly before rising from her seat and making her way to the general area of the windows. The others followed as she conjured up theater-style seats on the other side of the fountain with a wave of her hand – one for each of them plus Edgar, who raced in just in time. They were soft and plush, and strangely silvery for the fabric they were made of. No one paid it any mind, though, and just fought each other over what was unanimously decided to be the 'better' seats. Nyx was busy at a spindly-legged table with an old-fashioned, well-used phone set on it. The woman gave a few orders through the mouthpiece before turning on her heel and physically removing Maxu from the 'best' seat before claiming it for herself. Louis slithered over, giving the group a curious look.

"_What are you doing?"_ he inquired.

"_Fireworks. Know what they are?"_ Nyx asked as she gestured for him to come over to her.

"_No." _the basilisk hissed back._ "Sounds…interesting."_

"_Oh, you'll like them. They make really loud bangs and come in all colors and whatnot," _his mummy explained enthusiastically. _"It's a load of fun to watch."_

The young snake didn't seem convinced and just looked nervous about the 'loud bangs' as he curled up on the woman's lap.

"We should do resolutions while we wait for them to set up down below." Nyx said to the humans around her. She referred to the team of men positioned on a ridge 60 feet below them, waiting with the mountain of fireworks until their boss called down and gave the word to fire when ready. Usually, though, it took a few minutes to set up all the explosives so there wouldn't be lags between volleys, so they expected a short wait before the first shot. This was prime time to get the New Years Resolution tradition over with.

"You really think we should keep doing them?" Maxu asked with a slightly pained expression.

"Of course. We've been doing them for years." His master replied. "Why not?"

"Well…don't you think they're sort of clichéd and…well, stupid?"

"…Not particularly, no."

"…right. Forget I spoke."

"Will do."

"I'll start!" Sakura said as cheerfully as ever. "This year I'm going to get a boyfriend. Whether I keep him or not doesn't matter. I just want to be able to say that I've had one." She looked down the line of people to her right impressively, almost daring them to say something in response.

"…know what?" Nyx said, staring out the darkened windows. "Me too."

"What? _Really?_" the girl yelped in pleased surprise.

The woman nodded. "Yeah. I've been thinking about what you said before, and you have a good point. If nothing else it'll be interesting."

"Good for you!" Sakura said supportively. "If you ever need anything concerning it, you know I'm available!"

"Indeed I do," she muttered.

"…ah, what the hell." Maxu started. "I'll get in the spirit too. I want a girlfriend this year."

Sakura coughed loudly.

"Oh, bleeding hearts of the world unite." Jack groaned dramatically.

"I concur." Edgar muttered.

"Party-poopers." The American scolded them.

"Don't start." The second-in-command retorted. "I just don't feel like jumping on the romantic-crap-bandwagon right now."

"Hear, hear!" the butler cheered.

"Shut up over there!" Sakura called to the ghost before rounding on Jack. "It's not crap, it's sweet!"

"It's not sweet, it's sappy!" he shot back. "And I _hate _sap! Sticky, smells funny, gets everywhere…"

Maxu snorted. "Ignore him. He's just sore because he has absolutely no chance with –"

Jack stretched his arms up and 'accidentally' cuffed the American.

"No chance with who?" Nyx inquired.

"…he smacked me!" the 19-year-old spluttered indignantly. "Some nerve, he's got…"

"Ohh, do you want me to get mommy so she can kiss it and make the boo-boo go away?" the cloaked man said nastily.

Nyx sighed. _The usual bickering. Haven't heard Jack take that tone in a while, though. He's been pretty soft-spoken the past couple months. …then again, he was away from all of them the whole time. …maybe it's the topic of conversation. He's never been very open to discussing lovey-dovey things like Sakura loves to. Maxu doesn't mind now and then, and I'll admit I like to indulge myself once in a while, but…Maybe it's got something to do with that he told me that one time. Said he never had a girlfriend before…poor guy. _

Her mind was taken elsewhere when she noticed Maxu and Jack had both drawn their wands on each other. _I wonder if **his** underlings act like this. …probably not. He wouldn't put up with it like I do. They're undoubtedly much older, too, and don't act so downright dumb sometimes. Well, it's a price I'm willing to pay for such young, naïve minions. After all, anything else just wouldn't work._

Nyx smiled to herself. _I still think I'm cleverer than you. I'm not the one with the reputation, but I know I'm better at planning things out so they go my way in the end. Plus there isn't a better liar on this earth than me; you of all people know from experience. Heh…you didn't have a **clue **back then. They don't either, thankfully. And they won't if I have anything to say about it, not until I decide the time's right. …you're right, it does feel pretty good to be in control like this._

The woman saw the first firework go off in a brilliant, green flash.

…_70 today, huh? Guess that makes it our 53rd Anniversary. Fun night, wasn't it? That'll forever be my best performance, and the first time someone made a fool out of you. …Probably the only time, too, but that's beside the point. _

_I heard you look like a bloody snake nowadays. That's funny. We're supposed to 'retain a youthful appearance well into old age.' I guess it goes for me pretty well, but as for you…Well, I'll have to see you for myself sometime. I'll be damned if you look anything like I remember you, and I don't think one would describe you as looking like a snake if you looked like that._

…_still, you'd be a pretty good-looking snake if they did. _

--- to be continued in Chapter 13 : Hermione Breaks A Rule ---

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (With exception of Nyx, Jack, Sakura, Maxu, Schlange, Edgar, Louis, and SMS.) 

**A/N:** ...please know how very sorry I am that this took so long to finish, but there was little I could do about it. I got really sick last week, and I'm still recovering now a week and a half later. I was pretty much confined to the couch because I had zero energy, and I was sleeping about 14 hours a day, so I was in no condition to type. Then I had to make up my missed schoolwork, and I'm still not completely done, but I'm glad I managed to finish this as soon as I was able to. Plus I found this a very difficult chapter to write because of all the Zodiac stuff. It took me a long time to research it all and work out bugs, and it got really tiring when I had to recopy it into the actual chapter. I actually got bored when I was writing it because I was so sick of reading the same stuff over and over and over. (That's probably why I made everybody except Sakurahate it so much...) It was especially bad when I tried to write with a headache; I got about 2.5 sentences done, and Ithought "fuck this, I need a nap."

**General Notes:** The stuff with Hermione catching on to Nyx's "little problem" will show up again in the next chapter. I didn't save it for then because I didn't want to do a flashback, and I needed something else to put in here besides Zodiac and whatnot because it gets tiring, as I said, not only to write but to read. And for all the Lupin Fans, never fear, you will see him again in the future. (Not neccesarily the _near_ future, but eventually.)

Also, you've already met 'Sinister Black Shape (Wo)Man' but you won't be hearing from them for a while yet. They'll show up an awful lot before this is over, and cause some trouble along the way. Like try to kill Nyx. And fail. Because they suck. And she's special. And I shouldn't talk like this. It's annoying. REALLY annoying. Moving on before they stone me.

There is a SHITLOAD of foreshadowing in this chapter because of all the subtle little things I threw in to see if you're paying attention. I don't even remember how many I put in there, but they're definitely there. (Lots of which refers to the sign info.) I'll try to remember to throw in a note when I follow through on any of the mentioned things later on. (Incidentally, I don't know if even hiya! will be able to find them all. ...yeah, they're that well-hidden. ...oh really? Well, why don't you just go find all 46 of 'em and report back ASAP? ...damn right I'm confident. ...you better be able to front that cash, buddy. ...oh yeah? That's what I thought. ...That's right, walk away, say you don't have to deal with me. ...pansy.)

All the Zodiac stuff is accurate. Or at least I made it accurate. What I mean by that is I left some things out that didn't apply to a charachter because it's stupid to say they're one thing but they're really not, unless you're trying to throw people off but I wasn't in the mood to do that just yet. (Yeah, I saved it for Nyx's final thoughts. -cough-) Example: Capricorns are patient. Nyx is not patient. The end.

I got all the Zodiac stuiff from two websites, and they're very good. One has some very detailed info on the specific signs, and the other tells you your Sun-Moon-Ascending and whatnot. I find this stuff fascinating, like Sakura, but I'm not asgung-ho as she is. If you're curious about your signs and such, I'll gladly give you the links. (The results are surprising, but interesting, so I recommend taking a look, even if you think it's a bunch of crap.)

For anyone who cannot figure out who Nyx is talking 'to' in the last few paragraphs...for the love of god, don't ask me. I'll just start crying. (Oh, and guess all you want about their relationship/past. I'm not saying a word, even if you hit it on the nose, which is as likely to happen as Voldemort going to a gay bar.) (I'm sorry if I offended anyone with that, but if I did, suck it up cuz I thought it was _damn _funny.) (...seriously, just try to picture that.)

**Final Words:** Nothing exciting happened in this chapter, I know. (Probably another reason I got bored writing it...) Things will liven up next chapter, but I can't tell you what rule Hermione breaks yet. I'll give you a hint: it's something a Prefect should never, ever do, and she'll be lucky if she doesn't get expelled for it. ...and that's all. -snicker- Unless I relapse or the Homework Demons come for me, chapter 13 will go off without a hitch and be up within a reasonable amount of time. Woo and yay.

And as collateral for getting sick and delaying this chapter's release...Kavi sings a song! ...About getting sick.

(To the tune of "I Feel Pretty.")

_I feel shitty... _

_Oh, so shitty... _

_I feel shitty, and sleepy, and DEAAAAD! _

_And I'm bitchy, _

_Because I can't think with my heaaaad!_

...thank you, thank you. -bows deeply-

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**--- k**avi-**s**ama **---**


	13. Chapter 13: Hermione Breaks a Rule

Chapter 13 - Hermione Breaks a Rule

Nyx trudged up the cold, stone steps from the dungeons towards the Great Hall, where a nice, warm breakfast was waiting for her. She'd been back at school for four days already and things were not going well. Her mind was torn between something Jack told her on the train back to Hogwarts and the issues that had arisen concerning "business."

Sakura mentioned that Capricorn Ascending signs, which Jack happened to be, often had a difficult birth or a restricted childhood. Her underling told her that he was surprised to hear her mention a 'difficult birth' because it actually applied to him. When he and Annabella were born, he told her, their poor mother had to go through 21 hours of labor before either of them came out. The girl was technically born first, and Jack should've followed immediately after, but didn't. They ran into complications after Annabella was safely out, and her brother and mother were put in serious danger. If Jack wasn't born soon, he would suffocate before he even took his first breath, and his mother was losing strength fast. An hour later, the doctor was forced to try a very risky Muggle procedure – a C-section, he thought it was called – in order to try to save at least one of them.

The operation worked and Jack was perfectly fine, though he came dangerously close to death. His mother wasn't so lucky.

Nyx wasn't sure why this bothered her so much, but she couldn't stop thinking about the possibility that all that Zodiac stuff really wasn't a bunch of nonsense like she initially thought. If it was all as accurate as the 'difficult birth' thing, that meant Jack was seriously prone to depression and other problems because he kept his emotions in so much. She already knew he did that all the time, but it never really occurred to her that it could cause such problems. Nyx had gone through a period of depression before, and that was undoubtedly the worst time of her life. The only reason it didn't destroy her was… _No, don't think about it. You'll relapse. You don't need that right now, or ever._

Nyx wanted to take her mind elsewhere, but it refused to yield. She was worried about Jack and what might happen to him. She had a hard time wishing that kind of suffering even on her enemies, let alone imagining it for one of the people she cared the most about.

…_what am I doing? _She suddenly asked herself harshly. _Why am I worrying about him? I don't care what happens to anyone but me…I barely ever have…_

Nyx groaned to herself and ran her pale fingers through her hair. _This shouldn't be troubling me so much. Sure, I've changed lately, but I shouldn't feel like **this**…it's like my heart's being torn in two…_

…_yeah, Nyx. **What** heart?_

The girl rounded a corner and seemingly snapped out of it. _That's it. I won't think about him or his issues any more. I have more important things to be thinking about. I'm supposed to be an unsympathetic Capricorn anyway. _

…_oh, dear lord, she's converted me!_

That was just what she needed on top of all the other discouraging events of the past week or so. Before she returned to school, Nyx contacted the Efethute division to check up on their progress with the newly named "Operation Baby Seal." (Sakura decided to do this because she felt that a code name would be helpful if anyone outside of her master's underlings caught wind of the project. What exactly they could do about it or learn from it, Nyx did not know, so she just humored her and left it as Operation Baby Seal.) Apparently, the weather was being a "bitch," forcing them to stop working for about a week. That was understandable…until she found out how little progress they had made before that. There was still 1.75 miles of solid ice to break through before they reached what she sought. Nyx didn't think they'd be anywhere near done yet, but she was sure they'd be farther along than _this_.

The man in charge of the operation even had the nerve to ask her what exactly they should be looking for while they did their combination melt-and-crush maneuver on the selected area of solid ice. Nyx simply said, "When you find _it_, you'll find _out_." And then she hung up because if she spoke with that idiot any longer she would probably fire him after he made her even more cross.

And that was just the icing on the Problem Cake. The night before, Draco Malfoy had proven to be completely useless for gathering information on Voldemort or anything to do _with_ Voldemort. The boy was too wrapped up in his 'mission' to know anything she already didn't about the master he was terrified to death of, and had only met in person once.

Interestingly, though, he mentioned that the golden snake rings she gave him a few months before had come in handy. When Voldemort started getting impatient with Draco, he called Narcissa, his mother, to have a little talk. She took her son's passed-on advice and wore the ring there despite thinking it was worthless, and it quite possibly saved a life. The moment the Dark Lord laid eyes on it, he snatched it off her hand without a word to look at it more closely. He studied it for a little while before demanding to know where the matching ring was – without anyone telling him such a thing existed. Draco mailed it to her as soon as he received her letter explaining that You-Know-Who wanted it ASAP. Voldemort said little once he had both rings in his possession, other than Narcissa could go home and he would give Draco more time. Nyx was glad to hear of the blonde's newfound respect for her, and that the Dark Lord now had the rings – just as she planned – but it still didn't change the fact that she would've had better luck talking to a ham sandwich.

Her brilliant plan of getting close to a Death Eater, or at least the son of one, seemed to have hit a dead end. Draco had clearly been eliminated, and Alex Lazarra was simply out of the question. None of the other prospective Junior D.E.'s seemed terribly intelligent, so it was highly unlikely that they'd be any more helpful than Draco. It seemed as if her purpose in returning to Hogwarts had vanished and she seriously considered leaving as soon as possible. The homework and her idiotically annoying classmates were not worth visiting with Snape and Slughorn; she could do that any time she wanted without being a student.

Snape already explained his double-agent business with both Voldemort and the Order of the Phoenix, so she agreed not to force him into becoming a triple-agent and therefore give him a colossal headache. But, he gave her the idea to take her spying idea in the other direction and find out if any students had parents in the Order of the Phoenix. It was nearly as good as getting information on Voldemort, and she might end up getting just that if they had any connections that she didn't. Nyx made a mental note to herself to write to…well, not Schlange, but somebody so they could research Order members, because her double-agent friend wouldn't say a word about that either. With luck, she would make some kind of progress by mid-January.

As Nyx came to the room of moving staircases, she started rubbing her temples to help clear her mind of all that was weighing it down, both the dread and the hope. Once she could focus on the world around her she gazed around the room, planning out which staircases she needed to take to get to the Great Hall. A few times she cursed and had to re-plan because one or more of them moved on her. After an especially colorful assortment of words, a voice startled her.

"_What kind of language is **that** for a lady to use?"_

Nyx spun on her heel in horror to come face-to-face once again with the Portrait, hanging on the wall behind her innocently. The man inside looked the same as she always remembered him: pale, cold skin; wavy black hair with it's tips lying on his black-cloaked shoulders; scrubby moustache and short beard set on the tip of his chin; ugly, gold, black-stoned ring set on his finger; and the emotionless, pitch-black eyes that seemed to want to devour her soul. Those eyes made her feel a whirlwind of emotion; pure terror, burning hatred, deepest sorrow, irrepressible anger, but above all else, agony wracking every part of her being. The sight of him made her recoil in disgust, which she'd been to shocked to do the last time she saw him. A normal person wouldn't think he was hideously unattractive, but Nyx felt downright repulsed.

"_Surprised to see me?"_ the man hissed, smirking as if to taunt her.

"_Yes,"_ she replied. _"I thought they would've had to destroy you by now, what with your attack on a student and all."_

"_They tried, but they couldn't," _he said in a bored voice. _"Apparently I'm indestructible."_

"_Apparently not as much as you think," _Nyx shot back, grinning maliciously._ "That's a lovely scar. Is it new?" _She stared at the long, deep cut on the man's cheek that hadn't been there at the beginning of the year.

He frowned at her. _"You were just **lucky** I didn't deflect that. I was too busy mortally wounding you, as you **surely** recall."_

"_How could I not?" _the girl growled.

"_I'm just glad you survived. It would have been a shame for you to die at the hands of a painting. Very disgraceful, that…"_

"_Come off it. You knew that wouldn't kill me. It didn't kill me when you were still alive, so why should it work now?"_

"_I never intended for you to die. I simply wanted you to remember what real pain feels like. I can't allow that immortality to go to your head, now can I?"_

Nyx laughed humorlessly. _"You expect me to believe that you care?"_

"_Yes. I do." _The man replied quite seriously.

"_Why should you care now? You never gave a damn when it would've made a difference, and you got what you deserved for it, didn't you?"_

The man in the painting took a long, slow breath to control his temper. _"What you did was and still is inexcusable. My actions were perfectly justified. I explained that to you before I carried out the plan, so I was under the impression you understood it all **perfectly** well."_

"_I don't think leaving me for dead is **remotely** justifiable." _Nyx snarled. _"It wasn't back then and it wouldn't be nowadays. You know very damn well what happened because you all were too scared of me to try to help me, so you just brushed me under the rug and pretended I was gone so you could try to go on with your miserable lives. And don't try to tell me it didn't come back to haunt you later; I'm sure at some point or another you heard my screams in your nightmares all over again, and I **certainly** hope you suffered for it."_

"_That's enough." _The man interrupted, voice rising angrily.

"_It most certainly is **not**!" _the girl nearly shouted. _"My life was **ruined** because of you! I was lucky to have met the people I did, people who could accept me for what I was and didn't keep their distance because they were afraid that I would attack them the moment they took their eyes off me or let down their guard. No, if it weren't for them I'd be much worse than I've already become – and don't look at me like you don't know what I'm talking about! I tried to tell you everything last time, but you wouldn't listen, just like old times! You **never** listened to a word I had to say! It was always about **you!** Whatever made **you** happy, whatever made **you** look good, **I** had to do it! And you **dare **say what **I** did was **inexcusable**?"_

"_That's **enough,** Onyxsus."_

Nyx froze. She stared at the man in the portrait with bitter loathing as her eyes flashed red, before she hissed very quietly, _"No. It's **not** enough."_

She pulled out her wand in an instant and whispered, _"Trucido animus."_

In another instant, the painting was enveloped in a brilliant white light before falling off the wall and shattering on the stone floor like a delicate glass goblet. Nyx chuckled darkly and stepped over to the pile of ripped canvas and splinters. She shifted the mess around with her foot until she could clearly see that the once-young-looking fellow in the painting was now shown as the withered, mutilated corpse of an old man.

Nyx removed a bottle of ink from her pocket and poured the contents onto the heap of shattered wood and canvas carelessly. She crouched down and pointed the wand at the mess and said, _"Coerceo animus."_

The blackened remains of the painting glowed white once again, increasing in brightness until it threatened to blind the girl. She waited patiently for a moment longer, and the light materialized itself into a small glowing-white, firefly-like 'object' – for lack of a better word – now floating above the wreckage of the painting. The light hovered a little in each direction like a perplexed tourist looking for a bathroom before Nyx flicked her wand from it to the empty bottle. The firefly-like thing zoomed into it obediently, fading into nothingness and leaving no trace of its existence after Nyx popped the stopper back into the mouth of the little glass bottle. She looked back at the pile on the floor; the chips of wood and once-vivid paint had lost its color and now looked almost dead as the midnight ink seeped into it like spilt blood.

Nyx beamed placidly as she gingerly pocketed the not-quite empty bottle before she turned to walk up a staircase towards the Great Hall.

"What would I ever do without you, Black Spell?"

-----------------------------------------------------------------

"Hermione, I think you're taking this a little too far…"

"Oh, be quiet. I know what I'm doing."

"Yeah, but…don't you think this is just a _bit_ extreme?"

"No. Now hush up and keep watching for her."

"But…But it's only been four days! You can keep trying to talk to her about it for a _few_ more days at least; it won't kill you!"

"Harry, I don't care. _She's_ the one avoiding us and changing the subject every time I try to ask about it. Now pass me that knife."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Hermione made an exasperated noise and snatched the knife out of Ron's unsure hand impatiently. "_Really_, you'd think I'm planning a murder…" she said to herself curtly.

"For all you know, you _are_!" Ron yelped.

"I already told you, I did the research." The girl spat back. "It won't kill her even if she _does_ have Sang Maudit Syndrome. It might make her sick for a little while, but she certainly won't _die_."

"But…" Harry spluttered. "But you're _poisoning_ her!"

"Stop yelling and keep watching." Hermione hissed as she pushed the black-haired boy into his seat at the Gryffindor table. "The moment you see Ariana, tell me."

"…we're getting in _so_ much trouble for this…" Ron moaned. "Hermione's doing it, but we'll be punished as accomplices…probably get expelled…Mum's gonna _kill_ me…"

"Oh, for heaven's sakes, it's only a bezoar!" the bushy-haired girl said, displaying the small stone in her hand before returning to the omelet she was busy dissecting. "If I was using silver she could get seriously hurt, but the effects of a bezoar are temporary. Besides, this was the smallest one I could find. All she has to do is eat the omelet with the bezoar in it, and if she has SMS she'll have a reaction." Hermione stuffed the little stone into the food as inconspicuously as possible. "It's simple enough for a _first-year_ to understand."

"Slughorn isn't going to be happy when he finds out you stole that." Harry pointed out with a nod to the omelet. "Snape would be much worse, but either way…"

"Nonsense." Hermione said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Remember, I stole all those polyjuice potion ingredients back in 2nd year, and I didn't get caught."

"Yeah, but when she starts puking her guts out and everything else they're going to know she ate a bezoar, and she's going to know _you_ gave her the omelet, and you're pretty much doomed from there on out." Ron said slowly.

The girl stopped poking at the food and stared at the redhead. "…then we're just going to have to hope she doesn't have SMS and nothing at all happens." She didn't look nearly as settled as she sounded, partly because she was embarrassed that _she_ hadn't thought of that before, and partly because she knew there really was no way out of it for her if she was caught.

"She's here, Hermione," Harry said quietly, not looking at all comfortable with the situation. "But would you just try asking her _once_ more? It would make mefeel a whole lot better for helping you with this."

His classmate sighed irritably and snapped, "Fine, one last time, but I still don't think it'll work." Hermione jumped up from the table and waved at Nyx, who'd just walked in looking unusually pleased about something. The Slytherin took the hint and made her way to the Gryffindor table, ignoring the typical looks her housemates were shooting at her.

"Good morning," she said rather cheerily.

"Good morning," Hermione replied, smiling. "What did you think of that DADA essay last night?"

"Murder," Nyx grumbled. "The man must think we aren't taking any other classes…four feet of parchment my Aunt Harold…and I really _have_ got an Aunt Harold, you wouldn't want to meet her…him…whatever."

The trio chuckled as Nyx began peering at today's breakfast selection, holding in a laugh of her own; she never did the essay. Just as Hermione was about to try to mention SMS for the last time, the black-haired girl cheered, "Yes! Omelets! I've had an omelet craving all week, it's been driving me _crazy_…"

"Oh, here," the Gryffindor girl piped up. "This one's already on a plate and everything." She handed her 'friend' the bezoar omelet with a smile.

"Are you sure? You looked like you were ready to eat it yourself," Nyx asked apprehensively. _Why was this already set up when I got here?_

"Oh, no, it's fine, you take it," she reassured her, ignoring the pleading look she received from Harry. "There are plenty more for me."

Nyx shrugged and grabbed some silverware so she could dig in. She noticed Hermione watching her carefully as she took the first bite. "Need something, Herm?"

"Oh, uh, no," she said quickly. "Sorry, was I staring?"

"Yeah," the Slytherin managed through her second bite. The other three started when she had to force down the third piece and said, "That was odd. Felt like I swallowed a marble…Well, I'll find out in a day or two."

Ron started laughing and Hermione looked a bit ill. Harry glared at her for not saying anything before it was too late, but there was nothing he could do now so he just sulked and picked at his bacon. Nyx ate another bit of omelet before saying, "Well, if you don't need me for anything I think I'll go take a seat with my people." She jerked her head in the direction of the Slytherin table. "Hopefully no one will try to poison my pumpkin juice because I was over here again."

Hermione's heart skipped a beat before she bid her 'friend' good-bye for the time being. As soon as Nyx was well out of earshot the girl scooted closer to Harry and Ron, horrified.

"Do you think she knows what I did?" she asked in a panicked whisper.

"No way," the tall redhead said casually. "She says stuff like that all the time."

"Oh, _why_ did I have to do it?" Hermione moaned, wringing her hands together. "I should've just asked…Why didn't you two _stop_ me?"

"You were pretty dead-set on going through with this two minutes ago," Harry said. "Why'd you change your mind?"

"Because if she has SMS, _I'm_ going to get _expelled_ and _she's_ going to _kill _me!"

On the other side of the hall, Nyx had taken her seat next to Draco, who looked very irritable this morning. He may have been useless and a bit of a brat, but at least she had him as a connection in her own house. He made the transition into the school a lot easier in the beginning of the year, until he started getting so involved in his mission and was never around. But when he _was_ around, she sometimes made an uncharacteristic effort to be at least a little friendly to keep their relationship positive.

"Good omelets, huh?" she asked conversationally when she saw they had the same thing. He had barely eaten any of his, and simply murmured a half-hearted reply. Nyx fell quiet when she saw he wasn't in the mood to talk. Keeping her mouth closed was probably a good idea anyway because she suddenly started to feel a bit nauseous. A warm feeling began spreading through her head as a bothersome throbbing started near her ears. It didn't take long for her to decide that she should go lay down in the dormitory, or possibly in the hospital wing.

"Do me a favor and tell Slughorn I'll be a bit late today. I don't feel well," Nyx told Draco in a strained voice as she slowly got up from her seat. The moment her legs were fully supporting her, she started hacking violently, almost so much she had to sit down again. When she pulled her hand away from her mouth, she caught the powerful, coppery scent and taste of blood. Something clicked in her mind that made the vampire in her beg for more, but the blood ruby promptly put a stop to that.

"In fact, Draco, tell him I'll be in the hospital wing," she said weakly, swaying a little. He finally turned to look at what she was making the fuss about, and jumped up when he saw the blood leaking from her mouth and dripping from her hand. Everyone in the vicinity was staring, but none of the teachers at the staff table seemed to have noticed her yet.

"Er…do you want me to go with you?" he asked with unusual concern. "You look awful."

"No, no…" she replied not at all convincingly. "I'll be fine, I just need to lie down for a while."

At that, Nyx turned and took a step in the direction of the door and immediately regretted it. The room flipped upside down in front of her eyes and the throbbing in her ears intensified. A fresh wave of nausea swept over her, and coupled with the dizziness sent her falling to the floor and throwing up along the way. Draco mercifully grabbed her before she could fall into the pool of sick and sat her up against the bench. Nyx's head lolled to the side as one hand clutched her weakened stomach while the other held her head, threatening to implode under the pain. The throbbing had escalated to a horribly acute headache and she could feel her temperature rising dangerously fast. Another bout of coughing produced twice as much blood and sent Draco into a panic. He whirled around to face the staff table and yelled for Snape, who sprinted over the moment he realized what must have happened.

As Nyx struggled to keep the rest of her food down, the blonde Slytherin started spluttering what happened before she collapsed. "She said she didn't feel well and I should tell Sl- Professor Slughorn that she'd be late to class, and then she started coughing and when I looked she was all covered in blood and then she said she was going to the hospital wing, and then she bloody near fainted and did _that_" – he gave the puddle of sick a nod – "and then I got you over here, and now she looks like she's gonna die, and you look like you'd rather like to hit me."

"…just. Calm. Down." came Snape's curt reply. He found it difficult to talk when he had to exercise so much self-control. "She'll be fine. I need to get her to the hospital wing, so you stay here…and _get a grip_." The man knelt down so he was level with Nyx's head and asked quietly, "Do you think you can walk?"

She raised her pale, green-gray eyes to meet his black ones and said venomously, "Does it _bloody_ look like it?" The words spurred more bloodied coughing, and her expression quickly went from cross to miserable.

"That's what I thought." The DADA professor muttered. He moved next to her and put her right arm around his shoulder before hoisting her up into a standing position. Snape was supporting most of her weight since her legs didn't feel like coming back any time soon, but she was fairly light and he didn't mind helping her. He knew she must have eaten a bezoar on accident to get so sick so quickly, but he would have to find out how said bezoar got in her food later. Despite his friend's suffering, he simply couldn't wait to start subtracting points from the guilty party – supposing that it was someone not of his own house, of course.

Snape started half-dragging Nyx out of the Great Hall, meeting every nosy stare with a single warning look of his own, particularly frightening a few first-years. Only once did they have to halt so the girl could empty her stomach in front of the massive, wooden doors. Once in the hall, the only noise they could hear were the sounds of Snape's boots on the stone and Nyx's coughing, gagging, and the occasional moan of agony or sharp breath because the headache intensified even more. She was desperately off-balance even though he was nearly carrying her, and she soon found that keeping her eyes shut was the best strategy for dealing with the nausea. The fever and the headache had teamed up to batter her brain to an unrecognizable pulp; if Snape had said anything to her as they moved through the castle, she couldn't have comprehended it, let alone respond to it. She might have stopped once or twice to throw up again, but she wasn't sure.

By the time it registered in her sore brain, Nyx was being gently helped into a bed in the hospital wing. Someone put something wonderfully cold on her forehead that only partially vanquished the pain, but at least it was enough for her to come back to reality. Snape stood over her quietly as she lay in the unusually comfortable bed. He looked mildly concerned as he watched her for another coughing or puking episode, but certainly not like a worried mother. Madame Pomfrey was washing off the girl's blood-soaked hands and soon tended to her rather filthy mouth. Afterwards, she siphoned the bloody, sick mess off of the front of Nyx's black robes and tucked her under the cottony, white blankets.

Nyx locked eyes with her black-robed friend to confirm that she was awake and aware of her surroundings without saying anything. She didn't think that opening her mouth would be the wisest idea at the moment. Snape acknowledged her with a significant look as the nurse bustled over, looking appalled.

"What on earth happened to the poor girl, Severus?" she asked with genuine concern.

"I will explain it in full some other time; just take my word for it that something she ate…_disagreed_ with her." He replied carefully. Nyx smiled and laughed on the inside as she closed her eyes to rest and the nurse went into her office once she saw that she wasn't really needed at the moment.

Scarcely a moment later, she was rudely awoken by the sound of the door to the room creaking open noisily. _Someone needs to oil that damned thing…and send whoever just walked in away because I don't want to hear "what happened?" and "are you okay?" fifty bloody times._

"Good day, Miss Granger," she heard Snape say. "Came to see what the ruckus was about, hm?"

"Er, well…uh…um…y-you see…I, uh…" she replied weakly from the doorframe. Hermione glanced behind her at Harry and Ron who were hiding in the hall. They mouthed the words 'go on' and shooed her into the room so she could go try to make amends before Nyx could identify her as guilty. "…um…I-I wanted to, uh…t-to see…um…oh, dear…"

Nyx pulled her arm out from under the covers and reached it out towards Snape, standing beside the bed with his back to her and preventing her from seeing Hermione. "You make a better door than a window," she said with a cough as she pushed the man out of her line of vision. The Gryffindor girl seemed to want to shrink into oblivion as the other girl's eyes bored into her. "'Have an omelet, Ariana.'" Nyx said in a high, mocking voice. "What _ever_ made you think poisoning me was a good idea?"

The ex-Death Eater peered down at her curiously. "What was that?"

"Hermione slipped me a bezoar." She replied impatiently. "Really, what possessed you to do that?"

As Snape took on the expression of a hungry cat that just found a fat little mouse with four broken legs, Hermione looked terrified. "I-I tried to ask you about it, but you kept avoiding me!" she whimpered. "Every time I tried to bring it up, you changed the subject! I thought it was the best idea at the time to find out whether you had Sang Maudit Syndrome or not, but now I really wish I hadn't! _I'm really sorry!"_

Nyx gave her a long, calculating stare straight into her eyes, searching her thoughts. She shifted uncomfortably as she realized that the Slytherin must be a Legilimens, and suddenly wished she knew Occlumency to fight her off. Nyx's pale, greenish eyes did not leave Hermione's brown orbs for what seemed like an hour, electrifying the air with a nearly tangible tension as they awaited the verdict.

"Let's see…50 points from Gryffindor sounds good for endangering the life of a student, and I think another 30 for theft," Snape shattered the silence rather rudely. "I'm sure Miss Granger didn't need to go any further than professor Slughorn's ingredients store to acquire a bezoar…and, perhaps another 20 since you're a Prefect and really ought to know better." Hermione's jaw hit the floor as she gaped at him in abject horror, turning very pale. The other two Gryffindors on the other side of the wall quickly developed a mind to march right in there and beat the daylights out of the ex-Potions master for bring the cruel bastard he was.

However, Nyx beat them to it.

Her arm flew out from under the sheet faster than Snape's reaction time and her fist hit him in the stomach rather forcefully, knocking the wind out of him. He glared at her indignantly as he clutched his bruised abdomen, but before he could shout 'what the bloody hell was _that_ for,' Nyx cut him off.

"…you stupid _git!_ You ruined my moment!" she snarled at him, catching the cloth full of ice on her forehead before it fell off as her temper flared. "I was _just_ about to say something dramatic and impressive, and now even if I remembered what it was it would sound completely _idiotic_! Do it again and I won't aim so _high!"_ As the black-haired man's eyes widened in fear and he scooted out of her reach, Nyx turned to Hermione and said, "As I was about to say before I was so _rudely_ interrupted…I forgive you."

The Gryffindor girl heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank you for understanding. I'm really, _really_ sorry though. I had no idea you'd have to go through all that…I mean, I knew what would happen, but I didn't realize it would be so _extreme_…"

"Don't worry about it." The other girl replied with a calm smile. "I've been through this before; once, I accidentally drank a very dangerous poison because I thought it was my lemonade, and I needed a bezoar to cure it. The people that I was with were able to get one pretty fast, but they all nearly had a synchronized heart attack when I started getting worse. 'Course, the poison wouldn't have done anything to me anyway, but they didn't know about my 'little problem' at the time. But," Nyx's tone changed to stern. "Just because I survive doesn't mean you can do it again. If you ever feel the need to pull a prank on me or get revenge for something, _don't_ slip me another bezoar. Or anything silver, for that matter. If you do, I shall have to rip your arms off. And believe me, doing it's no trouble at all."

"O…okay…" Hermione said, looking a bit frightened. "I'll remember that. I don't think you'll ever need to, though. I'd rather like to _keep_ my arms, as a matter of fact…"

"Most people would." Nyx replied with an inappropriately cheery grin. "Well, while we're both here, do you have any questions or concerns?"

"Er…about what?"

"My condition," The SM said. "You know, 'is there any possibility that you could suddenly and inexplicably decide my neck looks like a nice, juicy steak,' or 'would you really live if you were beheaded' – oh! And my favorite: 'what's it feel like?' You have no idea how vague of a question that is. Nobody _ever_ specifies what 'it' is…I usually end up going on for three hours about anything and everything I can think of, and then that say something stupid like 'oh, well I only meant when you were bitten' or 'oh, well I only meant when _you_ bite somebody.'" Nyx shook her head in disgust. "One of the things that makes me hate people more than usual."

The girl paused for a moment as if she'd just been struck with a brick. "That reminds me…" She sat halfway up and rounded on Snape. "You are going to give back every last one of those 100 points you just took from Hermione." It wasn't a suggestion or a request; it was a command. Snape tried to ignore this.

"And how many stupidity potions would I need to drink to think that's such a brilliant idea?"

"Only enough to remember that I can sneak into your locked room tonight to wake you up at some ungodly hour, only for the first thing you see to be me hovering over you, pretending to be an inferius wielding a knife…a _biiiiiiig_ knife." The girl halted for a short moment. "_Everyone_ would hear your scream of terror."

The teacher spun to face his other student and said very quickly, "Forget what I said." He turned back around to face Nyx and spat, _"Happy?"_

"Quite." She chirped. "Now, where was I…oh, right. So, any questions?"

"Um…" Hermione said as she held in a fit of giggles from her imagining Snape screaming in sheer terror. "Well, I suppose I do. But I think Harry and Ron would like to hear them as well, so…"

Taking their cue, the two boys walked into the doorway casually.

"Hey, Hermione, fancy seeing you here," Ron said with painfully faked surprise.

"Yeah, we had no idea you were here," Harry joined in. "We were just on our way down this hall and happened to see you standing here, so we thought we'd say hi."

"Oh, and there's Ariana!" the redhead continued acting. "And Professor Snape, too! What a coincidence!"

"Gee, it's like a regular party in here!" the 'Chosen One' laughed a bit dimly.

The DADA professor walked around another bed towards the trio and stopped in front of Harry with his hand held out, palm-up, and said, "Hand it over, Potter."

"…er, what?" the teenager asked, genuinely confused.

"Whatever you're on right now. Hand it over." Snape replied humorlessly. "Whatever it is, it's more than likely banned at Hogwarts, not to mention illegal."

Nyx struggled to hold in a laugh. "He's not 'on' anything. They're just covering for sitting out in the hall, eavesdropping on us."

The ex-Death Eater did not move.

…until the girl lost her temper with him again and heaved the ice at his back. It hit him squarely between the shoulder blades, making him jerk forward and squirm a bit before whipping around and bellowing, **_"If you throw one more thing in my vicinity, it's detention every bloody day for the rest of the bloody year!"_**

Nyx folded her hands in her lap serenely and raised an eyebrow, asking in a sly tone, "Oh really?"

It dawned on the man just who he was talking to and how he would be cursing himself if he gave her even _one_ detention. "…on second thought, I'll just have you expelled."

The girl chuckled heartily. "Oh, sure. I'd _love_ to see you try to kick me out."

Snape's eye twitched. He took a deep, calming breath before saying positively venomously, "…if we're _quite_ done here, I have a class to teach."

"Yes, go teach your black little heart out," Nyx practically sang, waving him off carelessly.

The black-robed man began to step out of the room, but said perfectly loudly to Hermione on the way, "Next time you want to poison her, use the silver so she doesn't recover so quickly."

"I hate you, too!" the SM called after him, smiling.

The moment the door snapped shut, Ron exploded into howls of laughter, falling into a nearby chair for support. Snape immediately tore the door open and pointed a pale finger at him, roaring in triumph, **_"20 points for disrespecting a teacher, Weasley!"_**

The door slammed shut, leaving Ron with the expression of someone who just watched their birthday presents go up in flames. Nyx was sure she wasn't imagining the gleefully maniacal laughter fading away in the hall, but she ignored it and invited her friends to have a seat closer to her.

"I can't believe you said all that to him," Harry said with an impressed smile. "_Snape,_ of all people…You must be loony to even _think_ of doing that!"

The Slytherin chuckled. "Well he can't very well do anything back to me, considering my condition."

"Still, if I were you I wouldn't have the nerve to talk back to him like that," Hermione rebutted with a slight shiver.

"Snape and I are a special case," Nyx explained. "I've known him for _many_ years, so it's hard for me to treat him like a teacher. He's more like an uncle to me…well, no, not even that. I guess he's more like a much older cousin…perhaps…"

The three Gryffindors were giving her the strangest looks.

"…what?"

"…a cousin?"

"Yeah. What of it?"

"…_Snape?"_

"…yesss."

"…but…but…"

"…but what?"

"…but, it's _Snape!"_

Nyx sighed heavily. "Oh, get over it. My father's good friends with him. Not exactly the warmest person I've met, but he's an absolute _joy_ to torture."

Ron laughed again. "That was brilliant…'go teach your little black heart out'…and throwing that ice at him…I was surprised you didn't miss from that far away."

"Well, seeing as I have unnatural strength and other such abilities, it was quite easy." The girl replied with a strange gleam in her eyes.

"Speaking of which," the bushy-haired Prefect began. "…_did_ it hurt when you were bitten?"

Nyx sighed and rested her head in one hand. "Yes and no. At first it was _agonizing_, but I remember feeling sort of numb in a minute or two. That wasn't long before I lost consciousness, though." She paused to think very carefully. "…it happened just over a year ago.

"I was at home over Christmas break, and my grandmother and I decided to go take a walk down to this cute little village at the foot of the mountain we lived on. She, my father and I lived together, you see. Anyway, we noticed this odd man from the village following us at a distance on the way home, so we just concentrated getting home as fast as we could because he was making us nervous. About halfway up, the moon came out from behind the clouds, and scarcely a moment later a werewolf jumped out at us from the trees. I was closer, so I was bitten first. I still remember what that felt like, having my arm nearly torn out of it's socket in it's teeth…My grandmother tried to fight it off before it finished me, but age takes it's toll on one's strength, so…

"The werewolf killed her. Right as it came for me, the man that had been following us appeared and stabbed it in the chest with some kind of sword or knife or something; I didn't see because he was in the way. The werewolf ran off and the man came over to me to see if I was dead yet. I don't know whether he realized I was alive or not, but I remember seeing him very clearly, so my eyes must have been open. I don't remember having enough strength to do anything, though. Well, this man either decided to finish me off or simply take advantage of the situation, and bit me; he was a vampire.

"I suppose he'd been following us to try to catch us off-guard or at least where no one would hear us screaming for help. All he did was drain me, rape me, and leave me for dead – but I couldn't die because both he and the werewolf bit me, and I was now immortal. My father went looking for us in the middle of the night, and he found me just as the vampire left me, and my grandmother as the werewolf left her. Once I had enough strength to tell him what happened, we started researching vampirism and werewolfism, and soon found out about Sang Maudit Syndrome.

"I didn't return to school for a while, but when I did we _had_ to tell the headmaster why I'd been gone for a month. He wasn't very sympathetic. He told my father, 'the first complaint I get about your daughter, out she goes,' …or something to that effect anyway. I did okay until we had our 'end-of-year celebration,' and because it was like a 24-hour party, I completely forgot that it was full moon and didn't take even the Wolfsbane potion. You can imagine what happened when I went outside that night.

"I think the parents of the 5 students I either ate or ripped apart complained to the headmaster, so I was expelled and reported to the Ministry. My father and I fled here as soon as we could under false names so they couldn't take me away and do _who_ knows what to me, and once we explained everything to Dumbledore he said I was allowed to attend. Right now my father's still living under that assumed name, and we can't write to each other because the Ministry's supposedly been searching the mail.

"So, I'm sorry to have lied to you, but when I first came here that was the last thing I wanted to tell anyone," Nyx said earnestly. "Everything was still too fresh in my mind, and I didn't want to be shunned like in my old school once everyone found out what was wrong with me."

The girl didn't care that she was blatantly lying to them. She did it to everyone else; what made _them_ so special? Besides, it would be interesting to see how they reacted to the dramatic ordeal she claimed to have gone through – especially since she added the "I was raped" part in since people usually reacted nicely to that sort of thing. Nyx knew none of it would turn into an obstacle later when she would have to uphold the story to tell it to some other softhearted sod dumb enough to believe it. She had a good memory, and a knack for acting ever since she could remember. In fact, her earliest memory was from when she was 7 years old, lying to her father about breaking some _very_ expensive potions equipment, and succeeding in avoiding punishment. To that day, her lies had been as solid as the earth she stood on; _no one_ could see through them.

"There's _nothing_ wrong with you," Hermione interrupted gently. "You just have horrible luck. Like you just said, you certainly didn't _choose_ to get SMS; from the way you were talking, it sounded to me like you wish the werewolf killed you before the vampire got to you, and I don't blame you at all. There's no reason for anyone to hate you because of something you had no control over."

"Exactly!" Harry added, looking determined. "It's like someone hating me because I'm famous. I'm only famous because Voldemort tried to kill me and failed, and I'm the only person to ever have that happen to them. I didn't even _do_ anything; I was only a year old, so it wasn't like I planned on surviving so I could become a bloody celebrity because I absolutely _craved_ attention. Actually, I hatethe attention most of all, but that's beside the point."

"Yeah, and we've got a friend that's a werewolf himself, and even after being one for most of his life – and he's the same age as Snape – he's _still_ a bit paranoid about people hating him for it," Ron said supportively. "Harry's dad and godfather were best mates with him when they went to school here even though they knew he was a werewolf. They didn't care; they were never afraid of him or anything, and they did all they could to help him feel normal, especially around full moon. They even became animagi by their 5th year so they could still be around him when he was transformed!"

"And we don't care either," Hermione added. "Not that you're part vampire, not that you're part werewolf, and not that you're a Slytherin either. You're our friend, and if there's anything we can do to help you, we'll do our best." She smiled at her warmly and patted her hand.

Nyx stared at the three teenagers. Only one person had ever spoken to her like that before, giving her such support and care despite her being convinced that she was an abhorred monster. Back then it was all that had kept her from absolutely losing it, and now…she wasn't sure. But she could plainly see that they were good people by nature, and for once felt sorry for lying through her teeth to them.

_I shouldn't have gotten close to them…_ she thought. _I'm going to ruin them…I **know** it…Being like that, and at such a young age is a rare thing…I should leave them as soon as I can. I can't let myself corrupt them, or worse… _

…_but…but I can't leave them…he was the only one to ever treat me like this…if I lose that again…if I don't have someone who gives a damn, and doesn't care about my bad side…I…I won't be able to…t-to…_

A tear rolled off of Nyx's eyelashes and streaked down her pale cheek.

…_I could do it…if only she hadn't been so damn understanding…if only they hadn't been able to identify with me…if only they didn't know someone with almost the same problems…if only they didn't **care**…I could –_

"…Ariana?"

The girl's eyes met Hermione's as tears blurred her face.

"Are you okay?"

Nyx cracked.

It was the first time she'd cried in anyone's arms in many, _many_ years – many more than Hermione believed she had even been alive. But, in her ignorance for the danger her damaged friend would represent for her in the not-so-distant future, the girl let her sob into her shoulder, comforting her in the kind of embrace only a friend could give. Something made her trust and like Nyx, something that she couldn't find the words to explain. She certainly hadn't met anyone like her ever before, and perhaps she never would again. All she knew was that there was something about her that made her drastically unique, but she learned her lesson and decided that she could investigate that later, and not behind Nyx's back. Now was not the time for more questions.

The bell rang out in the hall within a few minutes, muffled by the closed door. Nyx leaned back in the bed and started to breathe slowly and deeply to calm herself down. The Gryffindor girl remained seated on the bed next to her, watching her carefully in case she needed her support again.

"I'm…I'm all right now," she said a bit weakly, drying her face on the sheet. "Thank you…really…"

"Are you sure?" the other girl asked with evident concern.

"Yes. You should get going, though; Slughorn won't be happy if I make you all late," Nyx chuckled. "I'll be there in a little while. I feel sort of tired, so I'll see if Madame Pomfrey has anything she can give me to perk me up a bit…"

"Oh, never mind Slughorn," Hermione said with an impatient wave of her hand. "If you need us to stay we will, and if he has a problem with it he can answer to you."

The Slytherin laughed. "No, really, I'm fine now, thanks to you. But before you go…what's your werewolf friend's name, and his friends?"

"Remus Lupin is the werewolf, and James Potter – Harry's dad – and Sirius Black were two of the others," the bushy-haired student explained. "Peter Pettigrew was the last one of the group, but seeing as he's practically You-Know-Who's right-hand-man now…Well, we prefer to not talk about him. Why do you ask, if you don't mind…?"

"I was just curious," Nyx said calmly.

That was the truth until she heard those names: _I thought it was those guys the moment they described them. Clearly Prongs is dead, and it sounds like Padfoot is, too, from the way they talk about him…that's a shame. He was a nice boy. Bit of a troublemaker when Prongs was with him, but still nice. No surprise Wormtail's Voldemort's lackey nowadays…never liked him anyway. Sniveling little rat…Good thing Moony's still around, though. He was always my favorite. I wonder if I might run into him sometime…Wait. What am I thinking? **They** seem to know him pretty well, so I can just go wherever they're going that he's going to be at the same time…don't know how I'll work that one out, but I can cross that bridge when I come to it. _

_I guess it really **is** a small world after all…_

"Well…if you're really sure you're all right now…" Hermione said slowly as she eased herself off the bed to start following Harry and Ron to the door. "See you soon, and I hope you feel better!"

"Thanks, see you." Nyx replied with considerably less enthusiasm then her friend. Once the trio was well out of the room, she flopped down onto the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. The nurse reappeared from her office and stepped over to her quietly.

"How are you feeling, Miss Harthcrow?" she asked with a kind smile. Nyx hoped she hadn't overheard the past conversation, and if she did it would be even worse if she decided to try to talk to her about it.

"Better," the girl replied tiredly. "I think I'll just rest here a bit before I go to class, though…I feel sort of tired…"

"That's quite all right," Madame Pomfrey reassured her. "If you need anything, just call for me." She turned on her heel and made her way back into the little office briskly.

Nyx turned onto her side to face the massive, tall windows on the other side of the room, showing her the pale blue-gray morning sky muddled with snow clouds that blanked out the sun. A tiny, glistening bead of water dripped onto the white pillow as her head swam with miserable thoughts.

_Why did this all have to happen? Why couldn't I have just **died** that night? Why was I condemned to ruin so many people's lives?…and…and kill so many…_

…_why…why did you have to die, Kalixius?_

…_why couldn't you have died like you were supposed to, not the way you did, at least by someone **else**? I could have lived with that…I could have avenged you, and I'd be at peace, even if not entirely…just a bit would keep me sane…_

…_you didn't deserve to die, **especially** not like that…it was too soon for you…you were the only person who still saw me as who I was, not a bloody fucking monster…you never judged me, never listened to what anyone else said about me…you knew better…all our lives, you were my best friend and I was yours…we trusted each other with our deepest secrets; I haven't been able to trust anyone like that since you died…and you always cared about me…always listened to me…always comforted me and cheered me up…always…_

…_why…_

…_why did **I **have to kill you? _

--- to be continued in Chapter 14 : The Outcasts ---

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (With exception of the usuals, plus Kalixius...but not S.O.B. Portrait Man.) 

**A/N: **First off, please know that I am EXTREMELY sorry about Chapter 12, and I sincerely hope this one was better. Hopefully I made up for the near-total lack of plot development, but didn't do _too_ much. (Don't know how I could do too much, but eh...) I don't think this one was nearly as boring, either, and hope that there weren't any parts one would have preferred to skim over. (...if you _did_ skim something, go read it again because you probably shouldn't have.)

**General Notes:** _"Trucido animus"_ and _"Coerco animus"_ - I would _like_ to tell you what these mean now, but since I'll be bringing them back later and explaining them at the same time, I won't do it now. I'll say this much, though: _"Trucido"_ and_ "Coerco"_ are two out of three parts of the Black Spell, and the third will be revealed when the other two are explained.

...and yes, I'm sure someone out there is thinking "White Spell...Black Spell...waitaminute! That's the most uncreative thing I've ever heard! Why couldn't you give it a _cool_ name from that language you made up or whatever?" Trust me; there's a reason it's Black and White, and it has an ENORMOUS part in the finale of the fic. Without them, this fic would NEVER EVER END. Seriously.

Nyx is a fabulous liar, isn't she? We'll see how long she can keep it up... -maniacal laughter- (Nyx: -looks fearful-) (Note: that was foreshadowing right there. -laughs at all the people who don't read this section-) ...and yeah, she knew the Marauders way back when. How? ...wait until I do the (likely) completely-flashback chapter on it and another thing which I shan't mention any more than this. It involves Snape...who is getting an increasingly large part in this fic. Hmmmm.

Kalixius is a cool name. If I ever have a son, I think I'll name him Kalixius...and my husband willthink "what the hell was I thinking, marrying this lunatic?" He'll be back later, as will S.O.B. Portrait Man. Look forward to crying, yelling, and ressurection. Goody-goody-gumdrops, indeed.

**Final Words:** Next chapter willinclude the _real _way Nyx and Snapey met, _not_ through Nyx's dad, who is currently a pile of bones. Plus a birthday party! Hooray!

Also, I drew (part of) an SMS Beast! Hooray again! The link is on my profile page, so go have a look; I'm _very _proud of it! -beams- Hopefully it'll help anyone who was having a difficult time picturing it in thier head. -cough-Shannon-cough-

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**--- k**avi-**s**ama **---**


	14. Chapter 14: The Outcasts

Chapter 14 – The Outcasts

Severus Snape walked down the staircase to his classroom, clutching a scrap of parchment. A school owl had delivered it over breakfast that morning, and it didn't say who it was from. All that was written was "Come to the DADA classroom at 9:30 this morning." He didn't recognize the handwriting, so he asked a few of his coworkers if it was from them, but he had no luck and began to wonder if it had been delivered to the wrong person. McGonagall suggested it was a student's doing and warned him to be wary of a prank.

The black-robed man snorted indignantly. He was Professor Severus Snape, terror of the dungeons. No student in their right mind would dare to even talk back to him in class – a perfect example of a student dim enough to do otherwise being that pain-in-his-ass Harry Potter – let alone pull some kind of prank on him. He had no reason to worry because as long as they feared him, they would respect him…at least to his face, anyway.

But since the year had begun, that wasn't entirely true. Nyx was back in his life, and she had scarcely changed. She was still the same sometimes annoying, cleverly cunning, afraid-of-nothing, almost bi-polar, suspiciously intelligent yet occasionally downright stupid, impossible-to-understand, experienced pathological liar she had been when they first met.

_Not to mention she looks a hell of a lot better than me, _he thought half bitterly, half affectionately. _Good thing we've been through this before, or I could get myself fired._ He chuckled to himself as he neared the door to his gloomy classroom. Snape glanced at his watch; 9:28. He supposed he could wait a moment and keep amusing himself with his thoughts.

_Minerva said to keep an eye out for some kind of prank, but I don't think she considered the possibility that Nyx could be a suspect. Poor, gullible woman. Thinks she's the best-behaved Slytherin in history and a Transfiguration prodigy. I hope I get to see the look on her face when she finally tells her the truth, and I know she will. I don't think she'll be very happy to hear, "The only reason I do so well in Transfiguration is because I've taken this course **twice** before; normally I suck at Transfiguration." The only question is how much sooner or later than more **important **people in her mind…_

Snape leaned against the stony wall casually and continued pondering as he stroked his chin. _Well, it took her two years to trust me enough to spill it, and it only took **him **one…Horace got to hear it immediately, but only because he's Horace and she needed an excuse for him to make her the proper potions every month anyway. Obviously, she couldn't very well do it herself since she was technically in school and didn't have the time or the ingredients. Even if she nicked the stuff, he would've known that someone was hiding the fact that they were a werewolf because all the ingredients for a Wolfsbane potion would mysteriously vanish around full moon. But, if I remember correctly, she said she only told him enough to get him to have some respect for her and 'brew the damned bloody potions'…wonder what she left out…_

He glanced at the watch again and decided to just go in and hope for the best. He pushed the door open slowly, carefully, in case something was going to jump out at him and give him a heart attack. The room was as dark as it usually was when he arrived for the first class of the day, with no sign of anyone else having been in there since he left it last. Snape's black eyes roved around the room suspiciously. Perhaps the prank was simply to make him waste his time going there so early, and leave him confused and curious for the rest of the day.

…_no. That's not worth the effort. _He decided, brushing a bit of black hair out of his face. Snape shook his head irritably and reached over to the switch on the wall, twisting it and igniting all the candles about the room with almost pathetic ease. The moment he turned to face the rest of the room again, Snape jumped in surprise as he saw a blinding flash and Nyx yelled:

"_**HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"**_

She cheered and laughed from her seat on top of his desk, twirling a green noisemaker in one hand and holding a camera in the other. Louis was curled up next to her on the desk, now 3 feet long, with a child's toy horn clamped in his mouth and trying very hard to make a noise come out of it. A green baby rattle was spellotaped to the end of his tail being shaken vigorously, making the rest of his body wiggle comically at the same time. Each was sporting a black headband with a giant 37 hovering over it in flashing green lights to match the rest of the room; Nyx had spent the past half hour decking the dark, gloomy classroom out in green and black decorations in honor of her friend's birthday. Glistening streamers resembling broken spider webs hung from the ceiling and anywhere on the walls where they would stay put, and the candles were enchanted to burn green flames. A few creepy balloons were scattered about the room, inside which were imitations of the odd dead things in jars Snape cherished in his office.

The man snapped out of the shock he'd received and slammed the door shut, locking it as Nyx's camera spit out a square of film. The girl hopped off the desk and left the camera and noisemaker with the basilisk, fanning the picture in the air as she meandered over to the door. She made Jack find her a camera and teach her how to use it the previous night.

"Don't shout like that when she door's open!" Snape hissed at her. "No one but you knows today's my birthday, and I'd like it kept that way!"

Nyx snickered and displayed the photo. "You look like you shit your pants!" And she was quite right.

He glared at her for a few seconds before lifting his eyes to the brightly flashing 37 above her head. "…why do you need to rub it in?" he groaned.

"Hey, consider yourself lucky." She said. "Louis said we should put these all over the room, but I thought I should kiss up rather than ruin your day, so I just kept the headbands. Made 'em myself." She beamed at him proudly. "Plus, since I'm the one wearing it, you should take it as a compliment because you're practically a toddler compared to me."

Snape sighed and shrugged. "If you feel like playing the optimist…"

"No, really, you'll like what I did," Nyx pressed, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him further into the room. She proudly pointed out the various decorations scattered about the room, and Snape became more impressed with each new item because he actually liked them. The 'tour' ended at his desk where Nyx displayed a glossy black vase full of dead, wilted roses.

"That's nothing short of disturbing," the man said with a sigh.

"Wha-? I thought you'd like these best of all!" the girl spluttered.

"I do," he corrected her. "But because I do, that means you know me _far_ too well, and _that's_ what's disturbing."

Nyx chuckled and hopped back up on the desk, slipping the embarrassing photo into her pocket for safekeeping. Louis was still struggling to make the horn work, but because he didn't really have any lips it kept nearly slipping out of his mouth. The two humans watched him bang the rattle against the desk in frustration, bobbing around to keep the toy in his mouth, until Snape got an idea. He grabbed the basilisk by the back of the head and forced the horn securely into his mouth, then covered his little nostrils with two fingers. A high, squeaky note escaped from the horn as Louis struggled to breathe, and he was suddenly _elated_. The DADA professor stepped back, looking just slightly haughty as the snake began trumpeting and shaking the rattle in jubilation.

"Huh. I never would've thought of that," Nyx muttered. In a moment, Louis figured out how to make the squeaky horn produce a more 'musical' noise, and started experimenting with sounds and the rattle until he was satisfied with a little tune he made up on the fly. His mummy laughed as she watched him 'dance' as he played, enjoying himself immensely.

"Little things amuse little minds, I see," Snape said with a smirk as he sat down at a desk.

Nyx glared at him playfully in return. Louis stopped playing to ask out of the corner of his mouth what he said, and once the girl repeated it, honked the horn indignantly at Snape much louder than the man's ears would have liked. The basilisk then spat the horn out onto the desk and turned to Nyx.

"_Can we eat now?"_ he hissed impatiently.

"_Yeah, I think so," _she replied, smiling. Nyx hopped off the desk again and walked around to the back and knelt down so Snape couldn't see her any more. He heard some shuffling around and became worried when he wondered if she was going through his desk. Just as he was about to get up and investigate, Nyx popped back up holding a shiny silver tray with a matching domed cover. She walked over to the desk her friend was seated behind and placed it before him, grinning.

"…what's this?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. He wasn't sure whether to be excited or afraid.

"Real silver," Nyx replied, displaying the protective gloves on her hands. "But it's what's on the inside that counts."

"Oh, how inspirational," Snape said, rolling his eyes as he lifted the cover. In the blink of an eye it went clattering to the floor as the man's jaw dropped, gaping at the mountain of the one thing that would be his downfall if it weren't for his amazing self-control. There was a bit of everything there, from classic milk and dark to exotically flavored lime, cherry, raspberry, watermelon, and even pineapple. It was the one and only weakness of Professor Severus Snape, terror of the dungeons:

Chocolate.

The man suddenly cackled maniacally and popped a handful of candy morsels into his mouth like a spastic child. He slumped back in the chair and sighed peacefully as he enjoyed the rare moment of publicly displayed happiness, looking as if he'd been sedated.

"Thank you," Snape said very honestly after he swallowed the chocolates. "I'm so glad you're the only one that knows about my Achilles' heel."

Nyx chuckled. "I'm sure you are. If the rest of the staff caught wind of it, they'd _never _leave you alone. Every time someone would have something chocolate, they'd go wait on one of the balconies with it tied to a string until you came along, and then dangle it in front of your face to see if you go after it. You'd humiliate yourself without even realizing it; you're like a _drug addict_ with that chocolate."

"You have no idea," he muttered. Snape sat up again and inspected the pile of sweets a bit more closely. "What, no mints?"

The girl stepped over and turned the tray so that the mint chocolate section was facing him.

"Oh," he said a bit dimly before having about three. "These are _delicious_…where'd you get them?"

"From a few places, actually," Nyx replied, sitting down next to her chocoholic friend. "Some stores only had certain kinds, a few flavors are only available at one store, and everyone has the same couple varieties. The usual headaches and nonsense one goes through when looking for birthday presents. By the way, keep in mind how much weight you're going to put on if you eat all that at once. I'm pretty sure there's around 6 or 7 pounds altogether…"

Snape snorted. "You think I care? It's chocolate!" He then helped himself to a peanut-butter-filled cup and a white chocolate dove.

The girl brushed that one annoying strand of hair out of her face as she stared at the mountain of sugary goodness and began to feel very hungry. She reached into her pocket and pulled up a small brown paper bag. Nyx set it on the desk and was about to open it up when she spied Louis about to swipe a chocolate-covered cherry and rapped him on the nose with two fingers. The basilisk slumped onto the floor, looking defeated and a bit dizzy.

"_Come over here," _Nyx hissed to him. _"You're on a diet, remember? **No chocolates.**"_

"_But, I'm **starving**!" _he whined. _"It's no fair **he **gets to eat all that beautiful chocolate and I have to sit here and waste away to nothing…"_

"_You can have this," _his mummy said impatiently as she pulled a handful of baby carrots out of the paper bag. Louis flinched when he saw them and made a disgusted face.

"_Come **on**, mum! I'm a **carnivore**! Carnivores don't eat **carrots!**" _the snake snapped at her ungratefully.

"_You're a **fat** carnivore. Now eat these or wait until lunch," _Nyx said without batting an eye. The basilisk grumbled something to himself as he took a few carrots from her hand and started munching them on the floor, looking like he'd be sick at any moment.

"What was all that about?" Snape asked curiously.

"He was trying to sneak one of your chocolates," she explained. "One, they're yours and not his, and two, he's on a diet and not allowed to have chocolate anyway."

"…a basilisk on a diet?" he laughed.

"Yeah. I'm _sure_ he's overweight for his age," the girl said. "At any rate, he's too much to keep carrying around on my shoulders day in and day out, so today's the last time he'll be in class unless he slims down…and maybe by the time _that_ happens he'll still be too big, except it'll be length instead of weight."

Snape peered down at Louis and opened his mouth to say something, but Nyx cut him off: "I wouldn't say anything about it if I were you. He may not be able to understand English beyond a precious few words, but he's smart enough to know when someone's talking about him, and he's a bit touchy about the weight thing…"

The man nodded and went back to his heap of chocolate, picking out a few more morsels to snack on. The girl next to him went into the paper bag again and pulled out several Oreos, biting into one as soon as she could.

"Oh, I just remembered," she said, trying to keep the cookie from falling out of her mouth as she spoke. "In addition to the chocolate, I have another present for you."

"I hope it's as good as these, if not better," Snape said frankly.

"I'm going to behave today."

"…_no way_."

"Really, I will!"

"…I don't think you _can_."

"Thanks for being so bloody supportive, _Snivellus_."

"Any time, _freak show_."

The two stared each other down for almost a minute, daring the other to start something…before neither could resist it any longer and burst into laughter.

"Oh, I haven't had that good of a laugh in a while," Nyx said, wiping a tear from her eye when they calmed down. "But, seriously, I'm going to be good today."

"I still don't think you can restrain yourself for a whole hour," Snape replied, still chuckling a bit.

"Well, we'll just see about that, now won't we?"

"…do you realize that, by _my_ standards, 'behave' means you will not talk, make faces at me, sleep, play with the snake, draw pictures and hold them up so I can see them, eat, drink, make bubbles, sparks or anything else with your wand, throw things at either myself or other students, laugh for no apparent reason, stare at me for the entire period without blinking once, hide under your desk until someone notices you're missing, talk back to me during class, randomly walk out of the room, or be obnoxious in any other way, shape or form?"

"…I do now."

Snape shook his head and sighed in disgust. "Never mind. The chocolates are enough."

"No, no, no," Nyx argued, shaking her head determinedly. "I swore I would behave today, and that's what I'll do, even if I have to fake sick so I can go out in the hall and relieve myself – you know, yell and run around for a few minutes until I'm calm again."

"Whatever works," the man said with a shrug before tossing another chocolate into his mouth.

"So," the girl said, turning to face Snape fully. "Were you surprised? I mean, _honestly_ surprised?"

"I wouldn't have been any more surprised if you'd thrown a brick at me the moment I walked in," he said. "Beyond that, was I surprised that you had something to do with it? No, although I wondered who you forced into writing that note instead of doing it yourself – and don't look so amazed that I recognized handwriting that wasn't yours. I assume you made Jack do it, peon that he is to you…Surprised that you were actually improving my day rather than making it worse than usual? Yes. Any more surprised than when I first met you? Not by a long shot."

Nyx laughed in spite of herself. "I don't blame you."

"Well, how could you? Thought you were a bloody zombie, or worse – and inferius. That would've _absolutely_ made my day. Worst damn day of my _life_, and to be honest I'm still debating whether accidentally resurrecting you made it better or worse."

"You're _too_ kind."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

A 16-year-old boy sat huddled in a rocky niche at the edge of the lake. It was large enough to fit up to 4 people, it had been found, and there was plenty of room to stand for even the taller students at Hogwarts. The slab of rock jutted out into the lake noticeably, and a natural stone stairway on one side of it allowed the teenagers to come and go as they pleased with fairly little danger of going into the water unintentionally. The niche was in the area of the docks, but not so near that the staff had ever discovered it. It was a popular dating site since couples could easily hide down there to snog and do who knows what else, but that was nowhere near the reason the 5th-year was there this evening.

The boy huddled in the farthest-back corner hugging his knees resembled a plant that had been kept in the dark. He was pale with limp, greasy black hair to his shoulders and an embarrassingly hooked nose. The teenage Severus Snape had been there for at least three hours, shedding bitter tears all the while and cursing certain other students, and when he finally looked up beyond the opening across from him at the sky through bleary, reddened eyes he saw that the sun was about to set. He wondered half-heartedly if he should return to the castle before someone came looking for him. It was surely close to dinnertime since he was starting to feel hungry.

But he didn't want to go back. Not after that bloody prat James Potter had humiliated him in front of their entire class earlier in the day. The Gryffindor had done his best to make his life miserable and make absolutely certain he was hated and shunned by everyone and their dog, but this time he had seriously crossed the line. _No one_ would ever make such a show out of him again, he vowed. He swore an oath to himself and any shred of dignity he had left that if Potter or any member of his detestable little gang ever even _thought_ about harassing him again, he would make them pay and pay _dearly._ A person can only withstand so much abuse before they break, and Snape was dangerously close to his limit.

The young Slytherin exhaled heavily and leaned back against the smooth wall, stretching out his thin, long legs in front of him. He dried his face off with his sleeve and then let his arm flop onto the cold, rough stone. As he listened to the calm lapping of the water against the rocks, Snape gazed above him at the only completely flat part of the niche, the back wall, where the rest of the niche was jagged and uneven. He let his cold, black eyes rest on the bizarre mark at the center of the unnaturally smooth rock; the mark that had spawned countless stories and superstitions. No one knew how old it was or who put it there, but it didn't look very recent as the paint was a bit faded.

A simple black cross was painted over an explosion of red that dripped down the rock carelessly. A series of black, crescent-moon-shaped strokes were placed around the cross; one with it's bottom curve resting on the top of the horizontal bar, two forming an 'X' over each arm and five more bowl-like lines over the bottommost and longest part of the cross parallel to the one on top. A white outline of a circle with an 'X' in the center rested just below and to the right of the cross lines, and several unrecognizable symbols lay carved into the stone above it, slowly being weathered away by the wind and the water.

People had made up all sorts of tales about that mark and the mysteriously flat wall, positioned across from the dark water at the very back of the niche. Someone suggested that a terrible criminal had been crucified there a long time ago, but the body was removed and the cross taken down, so the image was painted there as a sort of memorial. Another creative mind said that the odd marking was an ancient symbol of a secret society, cult, or powerful witch or wizard long since dead, and had some obscure significance today that only the most brilliant minds would ever be able to decipher. Yet another student spread the idea that the image was supposed to act as a hint to a password of sorts for a door hidden in the smooth wall, leading to an interesting underground chamber with who knows what in it; a mountain of riches, perhaps, or maybe something even grander like the fabled Fountain of Youth?

Quite possibly the wisest of them all was the young girl who said, "Oh, shove off. It's just some stupid graffiti."

Nevertheless, people typically enjoy a good fairy story. Even if they know the chances of it being true are so very slim, they can't help but hope that it's not an elaborate lie. The same went for the niche and the wall with the strange painting. Even if it was just someone's bizarre graffiti, everyone wanted to believe that there was more to it than meets the eye, and they all hoped that someday they could be the lucky one to discover it's secrets.

Snape didn't share those feelings. He thought it was interesting and a bit suspicious that only the one wall was flat, and the marking was certainly unique. He didn't think it very likely that there was anything special or meaningful to it. And even if there was, he certainly didn't care any more than if it was fake.

The Slytherin rose to his feet with the help of the legendary wall a bit unsteadily. He had had a very trying day, and he couldn't wait for it to be over…or on second thought, perhaps he didn't. After all, what guaranteed that the next day wouldn't be even worse than this one? Snape sighed exhaustedly and brushed his last tear from his eye and turned to leave the niche with the hope that he encountered no one on his way to the Slytherin common room. He wasn't as hungry as he thought he was.

But as he stepped towards the setting sun, the hand that brushed away that last bead of water a moment before just barely touched the smooth wall, and an unearthly groan erupted in Snape's ears. He spun around nervously, looking for the source of the unnerving noise, and his black eyes fell upon the fabled wall; a faint line had formed in the shape of a door with the famous cross at it's center. The line grew wider and darker, and Snape suddenly realized that the stone was sliding backwards into what most assumed was solid rock, but was clearly not in the least. The groaning continued as the slab of stone crept further into the deepening niche, and suddenly vanished with a deafening bang. The boy stepped forward carefully and saw that the stone door had not vanished at all; it had fallen into a hole the perfect size for it, and now formed the first stony step in a steep, curving staircase leading into the darkness underground.

Snape stared down into the quiet blackness where the solid steps began to turn a corner and faded from sight. Something urged him to go down and see what was there, but it was probably just all the stories he'd heard talking. Still, if there _was _a mountain of treasure to be had, he would surely regret it for the rest of his days if he wasn't the first to claim it. _He_ opened the door after all, though just how he did it he hadn't a clue in the world.

But now wasn't the time to ask 'how.' It was the time to ask whether it was worth risking his life for something good that may not even be there; how did he know there wasn't some horrible monster locked down there that hadn't had a bite to eat in hundreds of years, and decided it was in the mood for a Snape sandwich? He didn't, and that was the only thing making him hesitate. Snape didn't really care about going back to the school any more. Any excuse to stay away from James Potter and Sirius Black for longer than usual was welcome that day.

Just the thought of those two made him quiver with rage, but it also gave him a ray of hope. There was certainly a chance that he could find something at the end of those stairs that could help him get his revenge on those dreadful idiots, and that was enough to make him take that first step down the stone stairway into the gloom. Snape lit his wand just before the corridor started getting too dark, and found himself walking for nearly a minute before he heard his footsteps echoing in a clearly large room. A rush of adrenaline pressed him to break into a run as the stairs wound down to their end, but he resisted it at the thought of the starved beast waiting to rip him to pieces.

Snape halted as he finally reached the last step. Even holding his wand aloft at it's brightest, he could not see the farthest corner of the damp, strange-smelling room, and sense told him not to proceed until he could. His black eyes searched the two corners of the room he could see, glittering anxiously in the white wand-light, hoping to find something he could use to make more light with. His gaze fell upon another painted mark on the wall to his right, this time in the vague shape of a white sunburst. Snape pondered this in the heavy silence; he was far enough underground not to be able to hear the lake any more. After all the thinking his mind could stand, a simple solution presented itself in the form of the ignited tip of his wand.

Snape glanced from the light to the painted wall. _Can it really be that simple?_

He took a long, slow breath and touched the ignited tip to the center of the mark and was nearly blinded by the flash that issued from it. Snape stumbled backwards with his free hand over his aching eyes to try to make the dancing, spinning lights go away. He felt around for the wall and leaned against it for support while he slowly regained his sight, listening extremely closely for any sign of something that might have sprung to life in the past few moments; nothing. But he noticed something he hadn't realized before in the odd scent of the room. It smelled old and a bit musty, like an attic, but there was something else, too, that he easily recognized from all the bloody noses he had received thanks to that git Potter; the faint, coppery smell of blood. How could that be? If what he heard was true, no one had been down there for at _least_ 30 years…Snape saw that his vision was almost back to normal as he could see his hand pretty clearly, so he pulled it away, looked up, and felt his heart skip several beats and leap into his throat, choking him.

The simple, stone room was now lit by seven obviously enchanted black candles. Three hung in tarnished, bent birdcages by hooks on each of the side walls to his left and right, burning cold white flames, and the last was part of a ramshackle metal chandelier hanging on a blackened chain from the center of the room. The fat, black candle was burning on both ends from its place at the center of the circular scrap of twisted metal, yet the bottom flame defied gravity and burned like a normal, upright candle, except upside-down. The walls and floor were a bland, stony gray, except for seven black pentacles painted on the ground parallel to the altar at the opposite end of the room as the boy. Two steps led up to the thing that he stared at transfixed, frozen in utter horror.

It was the source of the sea of dried, brownish blood polluting the floor and streaked across the walls, so much of it that Snape could still smell it in the damp, heavy air. A blackened, iron cross was embedded into the wall of rock over a frighteningly large bloodstain that dripped onto the floor carelessly. Five tarnished chains stretched across it's bottommost, longest arm, and four more formed an 'X' over each side of the horizontal beam. Each was secured tightly through a series of holes in the rock where the last links seemed to melt into the living stone. A final darkened chain was pulled tightly across the throat of the corpse hanging on the cross like a ragged doll, it's bottom curve just above the top of the center beam.

The body was withered and torn apart; massive, deadly wounds covered it, and many of the weapons used to inflict them were left where they landed. Twenty-something tarnished, stained knives and swords stuck out of the corpse like pins in a voodoo doll. The black cloak covering the body was ragged and ripped, as were the clothes underneath, but these were too deeply stained by the alarming amount of blood to really tell what they looked like. Snape felt sick as he saw several wounds so horrible the person's bones could be seen under the ripped flesh, not to mention the fact that the person had been disemboweled and their intestines were hanging out of their stomach like fat, filthy worms. He felt even uneasier when he saw the massive nails forced through the corpse's hands and feet, but they weren't nailed to the cross properly as you usually can't nail anything into solid iron. The feeling of nausea only got more intense when he saw that the wrists had been carelessly slit over and over again before the person died.

But without a doubt, the worst wound on the abused body was the gaping hole where a heart should have been. Instead, cracked ribs, fragile ends of veins and arteries, and dark tissue were all that could be seen, all caked in the person's blood even more thickly than the rest of the body. Snape felt a dark chill travel through his limbs as he gaped at the nightmarish scene and remembered the painting on the wall on the surface above; the cross, chains, blood and missing heart were all in place. This room full of carnage and a defaced corpse was not _at all_ what he'd been expecting.

…_wait. A door opening in the wall…a hidden room…and a crucified person…the stories were…**right?**_

The Slytherin couldn't believe his own thoughts. How could there be such a coincidence? No one could have known what was down there, so how could they have guessed so perfectly? Glancing at the pentacles and black candles, he recalled another rumor someone started: "…a symbol of an ancient, secret society, or cult maybe…"

_A cult must have done this._ He decided. _The markings are obvious enough…but why is **that** there?_

Snape let his eyes fall on the crucified body once again, this time with more curiosity than fear or repulsion. His first thought was that the person had committed a _terrible_ crime, and this was the only proper punishment for it. But, if that was true, then why was it being carried out by a _cult_ and not the _Ministry_? Or, if the person wasn't a criminal, perhaps they had been a human sacrifice for the cult's purposes and they had been to lazy or disrespectful to take it down and give it a proper burial…

He took a few tentative steps towards it across the brownish-red floor, hearing the dried blood crackle and flake beneath his feet. As he approached the first step of the altar he thought he saw something in the person's face that he hadn't noticed from near the stairs because of the black, unkempt hair veiling it. But as he came only a few feet from the body, he couldn't pry his gaze from the crater in the chest, and noticed another thing he hadn't picked up before.

The body was _clearly_ that of a female.

Snape looked away, severely embarrassed. That explained why the black mess of hair was so long, but it didn't help him figure out who she was or why she was hanging from that creepy cross with weapons sticking out of her.

_Maybe if I look at her face…_ the boy thought from his place not a foot from the dead girl, reaching up to brush the dark locks out of the way with great care. Snape's eyes widened again in surprise, and at the same time felt a different sort of chill race up his back.

The girl didn't look a day over 18, possibly not even _that_ old, and strangely, her face was flawless. Not one scratch marred her pale, colorless skin in a drastic contrast to the rest of her body. She was a bit thin with slender eyebrows and grayed, light pinkish lips, and shadowed eyes permanently closed by death. But even Snape knew that it wasn't make-up that made them dark; perhaps she had been gravely ill before her death, or an insomniac. He hoped not. The beautiful girl had gone through enough with the severe damage to her body, and he could scarcely imagine her having to suffer any further.

…_bloody hell, what are you **thinking?** She's **dead!** You obviously haven't got a chance with her if she hasn't got a pulse, so don't even start getting your hopes up! _he berated himself cruelly. The faint tingling feeling in his face vanished and Snape let the girl's hair fall back into her face bitterly. His gaze drooped to the chain pulled across her stomach. He sent it a foul look as he let disappointment take over him. _What the hell's a cadaver going to do to help me? Why couldn't there be something **useful** down here? Even a **monster** would've been better than **this! **After all, most beasts **can** be tamed…_

…_oh, what am I doing? Honestly, Severus, what were you **expecting** to find? You're too smart for those stupid stories, so why did you ever think you would find a heap of gold or a powerful weapon or **anything **down here at all? You would have been better off just going back and having some dinner like a normal, sensible person. But nooo…you had to go gallivanting off down the mysterious, dark tunnel because curiosity got the better of you, and what did you get from it? **Nothing!** Nothing but a dead girl and a bad smell._

With a sudden jolt of horror, Snape realized something. **_Good lord, I sound like my mother!_**

He shuddered and closed off his thoughts before gazing up at the crucified girl sadly. He knew there was nothing he could do for her; she was already dead, and seemingly for a very long time. _…long…time…_ It suddenly struck him how odd it was that the body hadn't decomposed a bit in all the years it had been down there; 30 if what people said was true. Snape narrowed his eyes at the flawless face and stood on his toes to inspect it more closely. He couldn't see anything about her – sans the rest of her body – that didn't make it seem like she was just sleeping instead of dead. The 5th-year stepped back and gave her a full-body look, now searching for any reason that she shouldn't look _far_ worse than she did. …well, _most_ of her looked pretty bad, in Snape's opinion.

As he studied her, one of the chains caught his eye, glinting unusually in the cold candlelight. He moved closer to inspect it and soon realized that, underneath the blood, they were _silver_. He wasn't surprised that this was only occurring to him now since he hadn't given them much thought before. Maybe his guess that the girl was a horrible criminal or a human sacrifice was wrong. Perhaps she was just a vampire being 'punished' by an anti-vampire cult, or maybe a werewolf in a similar situation. He had just taken his DADA O.W.L. that morning; the weaknesses of vampires and werewolves were still fresh in his mind. Skeptically, Snape reached forward and tried to scrape off some of the blood with his fingernail to make sure it really _was_ silver and not the light playing tricks on his eyes. If nothing else, he could possibly get the chains off, clean them up, and sell them for an admirable profit.

…but even that seemed unlikely to go through. Somehow, he felt that he would be disrespecting the dead by taking the chains, valuable as they were, and just leaving her there on the floor. So, he decided that he would get the chains out of the wall, and then clean the girl up to the best of his ability and leave her there in her tomb at least with her clothes intact to make her look less…unsightly. Surely that would be repayment enough for pawning off the silver.

Just as the boy began wondering how to remove the chains, he heard a soft clinking noise coming from behind the wall. He pressed his ear to the cold stone curiously as the noise grew more pronounced by the second, and started when the chains began slithering off into the holes in the wall with heavy clunking noises from the machines hidden behind the rock wall. Snape could do nothing but gape as the precious silver was sucked into the wall, being replaced by a weak rope tied to the last link. Once all the chains had been retracted, something snipped the ropes, sending them drooping to the floor. The girl's body followed, falling forward like a limp doll with her cloak fluttering sadly behind her. Snape dashed forward and caught her before she struck the floor and flawed her delicate face. He was startled at how light she was, but quickly realized that it was probably due to all the blood she had lost.

The boy gently laid her out on the floor as if she was still alive and fragile, and knelt down next to her. The girl looked even more beautiful now that her hair wasn't dangling in her face, and he couldn't restrain himself from touching her cheek gently, almost a caress.

_Her skin is so soft…like she's not even dead…_ he thought, sensing the tingly feeling creeping up into his face again. Snape quickly shook it off and turned his attention to the rest of her battered frame. Slowly and gently, he pulled the various knives and swords out of the grisly wounds and tossed them in a pile behind him. He then tried earnestly to seal up her wounds, but the spell simply wouldn't take. He supposed it was only intended to work on those who needed it more than the corpse before him, so he began to magically sew up her torn clothing instead. The blood absolutely refused to come out, so he ignored it. When he came to the void in her chest, the 5th-year felt a jab of sympathy towards her.

_You couldn't have been a criminal with a face like that…More likely, you were just hated by someone…or perhaps a scapegoat…_ Snape thought sadly. _…or, maybe you were just an outcast like me…maybe you were tortured and killed because everyone thought you were strange, but you never did anything to deserve what they gave you…I certainly hope they didn't hate you because they thought you were ugly…not like…me…_

The Slytherin's eye twitched irritably. He knew he had to stop thinking about that; it hadn't done him any good in the past 3 hours, and it wouldn't do him any better now. Forcing the water back into his eyes, he repaired the gash in her shirt over her rudely exposed chest and the place where her heart once lay. Only her left sleeve remained to be fixed. It seemed to have caught on something after it was initially torn because the hole spanned from her shoulder to her wrist, exposing two of the bone-deep cuts and a few other smaller wounds. But as he prepared to begin the incantation again, something very strange caught his eye.

The dead girl's chest was rising and falling in the slow rhythm that could only mean one thing: _life._

--- to be continued in Chapter 15 : Dreckiges Tier ---

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (With exception of Nyx, Jack and Louis.) 

**A/N:** I have a special announcement to make. _**Kavi has just reached the100,000-word mark for this fic! Wooooo! -party party party- Yeeee-haw, bitches! -dances-**_

...Right. Moving on. I didn't intend to make this chapter cut off just there, but if I continued it this would be a repeat of chapter 6. Plus it would be really awkward with the beginning of the next chapter because...well, just trust me that it would be wierd. I'll explain once 15 is up.

**General Notes:** Hooray for more Snape torture! You know you love it!_I_ love writing it, and _Nyx_ lovescarrying it out, therefore there will be a lot of it before the fic's over. So...REJOICE! -parties again- And, yes. In Kavi-Land, Snape's weakness is chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate. I'll bet a lot of women despise him because of his metabolism. (Meaning: Snape is not fat by any means. He is a twig. Twiggy twig twig. He can eat all he wants and won't gain a pound. I can see you plotting his death already.)

Hopefully you can imagine the niche, cross symbol and room underneath it well enough. I'll undoubtedly do an illustration of at leastthe painting on the wall, for myself if nothing else, but I'm not sure I have the strength to make a full piece of Nyx in all her crucified glory.

...yeah, people. Dead girl is Nyx. -pause- Good morning, sunshine! -slap-

..._Anyway,_ I apologize if I made anyone queasy but since it made me sick thinking about too much detail, I sort of cut it short. For those who thought it was too little, elaborate on it for yourselves but please don't tell _me_. -looks ill-

Also, yes indeed, it was love at first sight for little Sevvie. (S: "_Damn you, woman!_ I told you _never_ to call me that!") -distracted- Yes, that's nice...Anyway, you can see that thier relationship didn't turn out as he wanted it to from (pretty much) day one. But how, you ask? Part of the story in chapter 15, and the rest in a much later chapter. That's riiight...I'm making you wait again...-cackles insanely- -lightening flashes- -Igor hobbles around in the background- Wait, wtf is Igor doing here? OH GNOEZ I AM TEH CONFUZZLED! ACHRGEARGGHARRRGH MY BRAINS ARE IMPLODERIZING! GNUUUUUUU-! -death-

**Final Words:** ...number one, please ignore what I just typed. (Damn you, caffiene. _Damn you to HELL._) In other news, "Dreckiges Tier" means "Dirty Animal" in German. Because German is cool, and German bands are even cooler. (Woo! Rammstein! Wooooo!) You'll understand my interesting title choice when you read the chapter...but for now, ponder.

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

--- **k**avi-**s**ama ---

* * *

**hiya:** I'm glad you're happier with 13 than 12. (Hopefully this one will be just as good or better.) Thanks for spreading the word, too. -grins and bows- Well, you could always threaten them with pointy objects until they read it if you really want that check within the week...but that's just me. -halo and angelic wings pop out- What? Don't give me that look, these are _authentic_. 

Tag on back: Party City.

...I've been framed, I tell you! FRAMED! I'll bet you anything it was that dirty rat Tompkins!

**Tom Riddle**: _...Tompkins? _You had better be referring to someone else.

**Kavi:** Nope. You're just pissed that you've only been in, what, 2 chapters? And for about one paragraph? And not even any dialogue yet?

**Tom:** ...-glare-

**Kavi:** Don't start with me, Mr. Flee-from-Death. You know how big of a part you're getting soon enough.

**Tom:** Well, it's not soon enough for _me_. This story wouldn't exist if _I _didn't exist, so you had better get me back in with all due speed.

**Kavi:** ...shut up and get back in my room.

**Tom**: ...or _what?_

**Kavi:** -eyes glow red- Or I'll get the _You-Know-What_.

**Tom:** -eyes widen- ...yes, ma'am. -scurries off-

...I love my fandom. Really I do. Oh, and sometime in the near future I'm going to be doing a one-shot featuring dear ol' Tommy Boy (T: -glaaaaare-) and his not-so-buddies at the orphanage. Here's a hint of what to expect: Harry Potter plus Annie.

Cheers! -prances off to room singing "It's A Hard Knock Life"-


	15. Chapter 15: Dreckiges Tier

Chapter 15 – Dreckiges Tier

Snape's eyes widened and his pulse started racing. _T-there must be something in the air down here making me hallucinate…s-she's…she's dead, right? And dead people can't breathe…no, of course they can't…_

The Slytherin decided to forego his idea of respecting the dead and get out of there as soon as possible. Something beyond thinking he saw a corpse breathing was making him uneasy. Once at school, he was going to go straight to the nurse and make sure he wasn't losing it completely. The 5th-year hesitated for a moment to give one last look to the mysterious, beautiful girl lying on the floor beside him. A small voice in the back of his mind was telling him to wait and see if she really _was_ alive.

_**Ridiculous!** _He snapped at the voice. _Even if she **was** a vampire or a werewolf, there's no way in **hell **she could survive after having all that silver in her for so long. Not to mention that even if you're immortal you can't function without a heart…it just isn't possible…I mean, even if she were a vampire **and** a werewolf she still couldn't – _

The dead girl's eyes flew open like she'd been startled awake.

Snape yelped and jumped back, tripping down the steps and landing flat on the bloodstained floor. His body went berserk trying to get him as far away from that corpse as quickly as possible. The boy scrambled over to the wall near the discarded knives and swords and pressed his back up against it, pulling his knees into his chest. His breathing came short and quick as his heart pounded against his ribs and his entire thin frame shook.

If the shock hadn't been enough to shake him up so badly, seeing her eyes was. They were bone-chillingly dark and blinded from years of uselessness, with a dirty, muddy look to the whites. There was no hint of color or life to them as they stared up at the ceiling they couldn't see.

Snape sat there, quivering and staring at the thing he once thought was a corpse in horrified fascination. _How the hell is she able to be alive after all that damage? What **is** she?_

The girl blinked slowly a few times, testing her sight, and then tried to open her mouth. As she did, her awful, rasping breath became audible. She tried to form experimental words, but she clearly didn't have the strength, or the lungs; Snape was certain both had been punctured just short of making them completely useless. The girl tried to turn her head to one side and failed. After a few moments of straining, her fingers twitched to life. It took her a few minutes to gain control of them, and her toes followed shortly after. Then she began turning her wrists and ankles, and then flexing the muscles in her arms and legs. Slowly but surely she regained control over her body until she was able to try to push herself up into a sitting position. She seemed about to succeed when she suddenly convulsed in pain and fell back to the floor.

The girl cursed under her breath and tried pushing herself over on her stomach. This time she succeeded, and became hopeful as she worked on getting into a standing position. Her legs weren't ready for that yet, as she found out when she collapsed again. The girl cursed even more loudly this time before she began dragging herself across the altar towards the wall opposite Snape, neglected intestines trailing across the rock beneath and behind her. Her breathing was even worse by the time she reached the smooth, blank wall, now beginning to sound like she was being strangled. The 16-year old considered going over to help her, but imagined a myriad of bad things that could happen to him if she wasn't friendly and decided against it.

Propping herself up on the more injured arm, the girl started scratching at the stone like a starved animal. The clawing became more desperate by the second, until one of her searching nails caught on an edge. She started poking around hungrily where the fingernail caught until she seemed satisfied. Without warning, she pulled her arm back, made a fist and punched the rock as hard as she could. To Snape's amazement, a square of stone slid back in front of her fist and fell into a neat hole like the door above, exposing a secret store of corked earthenware bottles.

The girl rasped out a delighted and relieved laugh before coughing violently. Dust and flecks of dry blood came from her mouth in a cloud, and she made a disgusted face once it stopped. She reached into the hole and grabbed a bottle greedily, tearing the cork out with her teeth and spitting it out onto the floor. She dumped the contents of the bottle down her throat with alarming speed. Once it was empty she tossed it off to the side carelessly where it shattered on the floor, and then reached for another.

Snape gazed at the clay shards curiously. He saw beads of redness glistening on the pieces and confirmed his guess that the girl was a vampire. As he watched her gulp down the second bottle of blood, he noticed what was happening to the gashes on her exposed left arm. The wounds were slowly being sewn together by a whitish 'thread', underneath which her lost flesh was beginning to regenerate. A small amount of blood trickled from the shrinking openings in proof that they were healing themselves.

Finally, after downing two more bottles and fully repairing her body, the girl paused to reposition herself. She sat down on the first step of the altar with a fourth bottle in one hand and the other arm resting limply across her legs. She took a swig of blood as her sharp, light green-gray eyes scanned the room with clear disgust. She threw a particularly cruel glare to the cross to her right. Somehow, she didn't notice Snape until her second look around, and she seemed nothing short of shocked to see another living thing down there.

"…um…" she began pathetically. "Hello."

"…'lo." Snape answered quietly. He was still reasonably unnerved by everything that had just happened, and even more unnerved by how unaffected the girl before him seemed to be.

"Did you…uh…get me down?" She gestured to the cross.

"Yes, but I'm not sure what I did, exactly…"

"Did you touch the chains?"

Snape blinked. _How did she know?_ "Er, yes. Why?"

"That's what did it," she said with a grin. The Slytherin felt the tingly feeling return to his face as he saw how nice she looked when she smiled. _And her eyes… _The girl glanced around the room curiously until she spied the pile of weapons. "…you took those out of me?"

The Slytherin nodded.

"Why?"

He wasn't sure if she was angry or glad from her neutral voice and expression, so he decided to get on her good side. "Well, I thought it would be pretty disrespectful to leave you looking like a human pincushion…"

"And…" she glanced down at her clothes. "…you fixed my clothes too?"

"Yeah. I tried to get the blood out and seal up your wounds, too, but none of it worked."

The girl's cool eyes locked onto his for a few long seconds before she suddenly smiled brightly and said in her most pleasant voice yet, "Thank you. That was very kind of you, considering the fact that as far as you were concerned I was just some old corpse."

"…oh…um…" he murmured, feeling the tingling in his face turn to heat. "…n…no problem…"

"So, I have to ask," the girl continued after taking another sip. "What's today?"

"June 9th, 1976." Snape replied.

Her eyes widened a bit, but she didn't seem utterly amazed. "Wow. I've been down here for 31 years to the day…" She said nothing else as she sank into thought, staring at her fingers.

"Do you remember what happened to you last?" the student asked tentatively to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Yes. Much more clearly than I would like," she answered quietly. Snape could hear the resentment in her voice and thought that he shouldn't have brought it up. "I'd rather not talk about it. Especially not to a perfect stranger, whether he's my rescuer or not…"

"Severus Snape." He said suddenly. "That's my name, I mean. And you?"

"…Nyx." She answered slowly. "Just…Nyx."

"There. Now we're not strangers any more." Snape said with a typically unseen smile.

Nyx laughed softly. "I still don't think now is a good time for me to discuss it. It's fairly fresh in my mind and it's not a pleasant memory…"

"That's all right, I understand what you mean," he said, stretching his legs out in front of himself and crossing his arms over his thin chest. "But could I at least make a guess, if that's alright with you?"

The girl studied him for a moment, wondering why he was so interested in her. "…I suppose it won't harm anything."

"I think someone didn't like the fact that you're a vampire – yeah, I saw that's blood you're drinking. So, they tried to kill you, or at least make you disappear, but since I'm talking to you right now it obviously didn't work. I'll be damned if I can figure out how you could come back to life after all that, but I digress…They probably wanted to get rid of you because they were afraid of you or didn't understand you and didn't want to try to." He paused to look around the room at the blood-covered floor and walls. "I'd say there were several of them attacking you, and from the looks of all this blood you took a few down before you were too badly injured to fight them off. If that scenario's wrong, then you probably did something very naughty and someone thought doing all that to you was the best way to punish you for it. Though, unless it was _really_ awful, I'll have to say I disagree with the method of punishment. Seems a bit extreme to me…"

Nyx stared at him carefully before smiling bitterly. "Both. Apparently, according to _some people_, including the Ministry of Magic, being _me_ is an unforgivable crime that is only repaid by death…or _that_, of course." She jerked her head towards the cross. "They believed that I was too dangerous to live freely, and that if they couldn't apprehend me successfully I had no choice but to die. They're probably convinced that I'm dead and gone now, or at least no longer dangerous, what with ripping my heart out and all…"

"So you didn't do a thing wrong?"

"No. What happened to me to make me what I am wasn't my fault, nor did I ask for it, and nor did I want it. Yet I still get punished for it _years_ after it happened…"

"That's absurd." Snape said sympathetically. "You probably ought to lay low for a while in case anyone figures out you're not really dead and reports you to the Ministry…but then again maybe they wouldn't care."

Nyx laughed. "You don't know what you're talking about. They'd send 50 of their best Aurors to try to get rid of me in a _heartbeat_ after what happened last time."

"I can't blame you for saying that since you missed the last 31 years of history," the 16-year-old sighed. "It has to do with the Dark Lord Voldemort."

The girl looked like she recognized the name for a moment, but then asked in honest confusion, "Lord _who_?"

"Voldemort. He's said to be the most powerful Dark Wizard in history, or at least in a couple thousand years." Snape explained with a hint of admiration. "Goes around with his band of Death Eaters – his loyal followers – and kills people."

Nyx blinked. "The nutter runs around killing random people for fun?"

"Well, not random people," the Slytherin corrected her. "He hates Muggles, and all Muggle-borns that learn magic. Doesn't particularly care for half bloods either. He basically kills anyone he doesn't see worth keeping alive, or anyone who tries to stop him from doing what he does best."

"How long's he been doing this without being stopped?"

"About 6 or 7 years."

"That's _pathetic!_ …well, not much more pathetic than me." Nyx sighed. "I've missed so _much_…I'll have to catch up with the world before I go out into it…probably shouldn't do that too soon either…"

"Why not?" Snape asked.

"I was 18 and still in school when I was put in here, so I don't know if I should try to go live in a world I'm unfamiliar with when I don't even have any experience in the world of 31 years ago…"

"…well…you could always…stay with me…if you want, of course." The boy said carefully. "I can fill you in easily enough."

"Are you sure you wouldn't mind?" the girl asked hesitantly. "I'm probably really weird by today's standards – a freak, even – and I'm sure I'd get annoying, having the knowledge of a four-year-old, or maybe not even that much…Besides, I tend to have a bad effect on people…"

"Trust me, you're probably not much weirder than me, and there's not much you can do that would make me worse than I already am." Snape said frankly. "I'm sort of the black sheep of my class, and I'm used to being treated like you were, so I think I can be more understanding than usual."

Nyx laughed in spite of herself. "I know how _that _feels…well, if you're _really_ sure you wouldn't mind…" She trailed off as she finished off the bottle, set it on the step and rose to her feet steadily. Snape followed suit and walked over to her as she returned to the square hole in the wall. When she turned back to face him her arms were full of the remaining earthenware bottles. "I'm not letting _these_ go to waste." She said simply.

Nyx hopped down the last two steps and stood in front of Snape. He was only about 2 inches taller than she was, and they were equally pale and thin with the same dark hair. The girl noted that his eyes looked very familiar; she only knew one other person to have such pure black eyes, but these eyes were different. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was _definitely_ something different. The look she was receiving from those eyes didn't feel foreign either. But, she ignored it for the time being and simply smiled at him as she walked briskly towards the stairs. Snape followed in silence until Nyx broke it a short way up the steps.

"I think it's safe to assume you go to Hogwarts?" she half-stated, half-asked.

"Yeah," he replied. "I'm in Slytherin."

"Really?" Nyx asked, looking over her shoulder with a grin. "So was I."

"That's good." Snape chuckled. "I'd go string you back up on that cross if you were a bloody Gryffindor…"

"Ah, the old rivalry's still strong, I see…What year are you in?"

"Fifth, soon to be sixth."

"So you're…16?"

"Yeah. And you are…?"

"It's rude to ask about a lady's age."

Snape shut his mouth instantly, somewhat embarrassed. To his surprise, Nyx laughed and said, "I was only joking. Apparently I'm 49 or something." She stopped on the step and sighed heavily. "I can't believe I just said that…and it's _true!"_

"For what it's worth, you don't look it."

Nyx turned to face him and asked hopefully, "Is everyone as nice and polite as you in 1976?"

"Are Slytherins dirty Mudbloods?"

"Oh, damn. More people to be harassed by." She grumbled before turning to continue walking up the steps. "Thank you, by the way."

"No problem." Snape said, smiling to himself, but in a moment it gave way to a look of disappointment. "…wait. I just realized something."

Nyx stopped again. "What?"

"Wouldn't you think that it'd be a bit strange for me to go waltzing into the school with some random girl no one's seen in 31 years, who's carrying fifteen bottles of blood because she's a vampire that doesn't get along with the Ministry or many other people too well?"

"…yes, that would be odd." She murmured before looking thoughtful. "…I think I have a solution, though."

"What is it?" Snape asked eagerly.

"Um…" Nyx said, glancing around the narrow stairwell. "I'll show you once we're out in the open. Barely any room to move in here…"

A short time later, the girl reemerged in the niche to see that the sun had fully set. She gazed at the pinkish-purplish clouds by the horizon and the calm, glittering waves on the surface of the black lake. Nyx set the bottles down on the hard ground gently and walked to the edge of the water, peering up at the tiny, diamondlike stars becoming visible in the darkening sky. She didn't see a trace of the moon anywhere, and hoped that she was safe in assuming it was around new moon, or at least anything but full moon.

Snape suddenly appeared just behind her and asked, "What are you looking at?"

"Everything." She replied simply. Nyx turned halfway around and spotted the steps leading to the grass. She walked up enough of them to get a full view of Hogwarts. She sighed happily and said, "Nothing's changed, I see."

"Er…what were you going to show me, again?" the 5th-year asked.

"Oh, right," Nyx muttered distractedly, skipping a few of the steps and landing in front of him. "Watch this."

Before he could ask "watch what," the girl had disappeared with a silent puff of dark smoke. Snape coughed a bit and fanned it away from his face, squinting as it stung his eyes, when he suddenly heard a soft flapping noise coming from nearby. The smoke began to dissipate, and when he opened his eyes he saw a little black bat hovering where Nyx once stood. The bat 'scree'-ed at him and he couldn't help but think that it was sort of cute.

"_See? Now no one will think I'm anything more than your pet!"_ a pleased voice rang in his ear.

"Wha- ? Who said that?" he spluttered.

The bat gave him a dirty look. _"**I **did!"_

"…_what_?"

The voice gave an impatient huff and the bat swooped over to land on a rock. _"I'm Nyx. The bat. I'm talking directly into your mind through telepathy."_

A light went on in Snape's head. "Oh, right. Vampires can change into bats without being animagi and are often telepathic. Should've remembered that sooner; I took my Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. this morning."

"_Oh, I hated those,"_ Nyx said, cringing. _"How do you think you did?"_

"I'll be surprised if I don't get an 'O'." he said very honestly.

The girl's voice chuckled. _"You're certainly confident. Are you a DADA prodigy or something?"_

"No, but according to my exam paper and all other sources, I got nearly everything right." Snape replied. "And what I didn't get entirely correct was little, unimportant stuff that can't possibly affect my grade more than the questions I did perfectly."

"_What about your other subjects?"_ Nyx continued conversationally.

"At least an 'E' for Transfiguration, Charms, History, Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures, but I'll be surprised if I do so well in Astronomy. Most pointless subject they could possibly make us learn…" he replied without hiding his disdain. "But if I don't get an 'O' in Potions I'll have to drown myself in the lake."

"…_does that mean you're a Potions prodigy?" _the bat asked, excitement creeping into her disembodied voice.

"Pretty much. Potions is my best subject, and I'm the best in my grade. Slughorn says I'm the best in the whole _school_, but I prefer to not act like a complete ass, so I don't brag about it." Snape explained, leaning against the stone casually. "Slughorn's the potions professor and –"

"_- the head of Slytherin." _

"Er, yeah. How'd you know?"

"_He had that same job back when I was last here." _She replied as she changed back into her human form with another cloud of smoke. "Does he still have his silly little Slug Club?'

"Yeah, I'm in it." He said, waving the smoke away from his face. He looked rather proud of this accomplishment and yet completely understanding about the often irritating extra attention and praise one gets day in and day out.

"So was I. One of his most prized members, matter of fact." The girl added, feigning an egotistical tone. "He especially liked me because I was a genius at Potions, like you."

Snape chuckled. "That's really weird."

"What is?"

"It's just odd that we have so much in common; Slytherin, good at Potions, in the Slug Club, people hate us for idiotic reasons, we look similar – well, not _that_ similar, but you know what I mean."

Nyx smiled and laughed quietly. "I'm used to odd coincidences like that, actually…hang on. What's that?" She got up and peered at a small badge pinned to Snape's collar.

"Oh, that." He said a bit sheepishly. "I'm a Prefect."

The girl looked at him blankly and said in a very serious voice, "That's nothing sort of disturbing."

"What's wrong with being a Prefect?" Snape asked. He didn't jump for joy when he received the badge in the post but he didn't refuse it, and he didn't see anything glaringly bad about it.

"Nothing at all." Nyx replied with a slightly dazed look. "It's just a little scary that I was a Prefect, too, on top of everything else."

The boy blinked and looked a bit unnerved. "Yeah, that's way too weird to be just a coincidence."

The vampire narrowed her eyes at him curiously. "What are you suggesting?"

"Um…well…" the Slytherin began carefully. "Maybe because we're so similar, that means you were…sort of…half…reincarnated…maybe?"

Nyx stared at him.

"…well it's better than nothing."

"It's a bit of a stretch, too, and a lot weirder than the coincidence."

"…forget I said anything." Snape said, shaking his head dismissively. His attention was suddenly turned to two figures dashing across the lawn towards the school, laughing.

"Hurry up! We're getting in enough trouble as it is!" a male voice said as one of the figures giggled as she tripped and tumbled to the grass. "Come on!" The boy grabbed his girlfriend by the arm and pulled her up.

"Don't get so worked up!" she laughed. "If we skip dinner and go straight to the common room no one will know where we've been!"

"But I don't want to get caught in the halls on the way there, so hurry!" the boy pleaded while still chuckling.

Snape eyed the couple cruelly as they reached the doors and scampered in. He hoped they were caught right away so that he wouldn't be when he snuck in.

"We should get back, too," he said to Nyx. "Do you want me to get the bottles?"

"No, that's alright," she said. "I'll just leave them there until I need them. Nobody's going to hurt them, and I'd feel bad if you raised suspicions when someone found a stockpile of preserved blood in your possession." The girl smiled pleasantly at him, and he felt his pulse jump. He watched calmly as Nyx changed into her bat form again with yet another puff of blackened smoke, and to his well-hidden delight swooped over and perched herself on his shoulder.

"_Mind if I sit here?" _she asked.

"Go right ahead," he replied, coughing a little and suppressing the urge to say instead, "I would only mind if you_ didn't_."

A minute later, Snape saw that he had gotten his wish. The couple that ran in before had been caught by Mr. Filch nearly the moment they set foot inside, leaving the Prefect a clear path to wherever he chose to go; the Great Hall or the common room. He couldn't help but admit that he was considerably hungry, but he wouldn't be able to escape the questions of "what took you so long to join us?" and "where've you been for the past eternity?" and "where did that creepy little bat come from?" If he went straight to the common room, there was barely any chance of his meeting anyone on the way or once he got there, but he would force himself to go to bed hungry.

A booming voice from down a hall Snape passed as he walked briskly helped him decide with irritating ease:

"There you are, Severus!"

He sighed heavily and turned to see Horace Slughorn waddling over to him, seemingly out of breath. He was clad in a toxic green dragon hide suit that Nyx instantly recognized from his younger days. He was a bit fatter than when she last saw him and his hair was more sparse and grayed, but he clearly hadn't lost any of his spunk, or his walrus-like moustache. And as Nyx soon found out, beyond his looks Slughorn was exactly the way she remembered him.

"Been tearing the place apart looking for you, m'boy!" he said breathlessly as he came nearer. "Thought you'd up and run off on us."

"I was taking a walk to clear my head." He replied with unusual composure. _It's not a **complete** lie…I **was** clearing my head, though I wasn't walking around much…_

"Oh, that's all?" Slughorn asked, surprised. "Well, that's alright in my book, but tell someone next time, hm? Now, I bet you'd like some dinner."

"Er, no thank you, sir, I'm not very hungry," Snape said calmly, turning just slightly in the direction of the common room.

"Oh, come now, Severus. It's Italian night!" the large man pressed jovially, clapping him on the shoulder and gently nudging him in the direction of the spaghetti. Nyx felt Snape twitch noticeably when his personal space was invaded and wondered why he was letting her sit on his other shoulder when he clearly didn't care for excessive personal contact. "You'll turn to skin and bones if you skip meals, you know!"

"_What's he think you are **now**?"_ Nyx said, laughing. _"…ah, I shouldn't say that. Ol' Sluggy means well…but, then again, sometimes a bit **too** well…"_

"I know what you mean," Snape replied out of the corner of his mouth, forcing down a smile in spite of himself. "Really, professor, I'll be fine," he added to the portly man. "So I'll just be getting off –"

Slughorn nearly shoved the poor boy in the only direction he didn't want to go in, wagging a thick little finger at him and grinning. "I'll hear none of that! At least have some of the garlic bread; it's absolutely _irresistible!"_

Nyx decided to try to spare her rescuer from the Italian food and let out a screechy yelp. Why he was so opposed to going to the Great Hall, she didn't know, but she could easily tell that that was the last place he wanted to be. Slughorn stopped abruptly and peered over at Snape's shoulder where the little black bat was crouched. He raised a curious eyebrow and asked, "Is that yours, Severus?"

"'**_That'?"_** the girl spat indignantly.

Snape ignored her, nodded and replied, "Bought her on the last Hogsmeade trip two weeks ago."

"Really? Don't recall ever hearing of you having any pets…" the professor muttered half-suspiciously.

"Well, she's never awake during the day, so it's no wonder you've never seen her before," the 5th-year fabricated quickly. "Actually she's been pretty boring up till now…" Snape gave her an appraising look to convince Slughorn that he was being truthful.

"Oh, I see," the man brightly. He peered over at his ex-student and waved at her like she was a small child. Snape thought he looked like a fool, but Nyx felt pleased to know that he really hadn't changed. She lifted a wing and sort of waved back clumsily, and toppled off of her "owner's" shoulder when she lost her balance. He caught her in his open hands, which Nyx noted were smooth, slender and long-fingered – startlingly similar to someone she once knew. Before he could gently replace her on his shoulder, she tried to fly off his palm to do it herself. Her left wing didn't feel like functioning and she accidentally dove headfirst into his pocket. Neither could help but laugh as they saw only her little legs sticking up, kicking around furiously as she squeaked and screeched.

"_Damn it to hell!"_ she snarled. _"I'm **stuck!** Bloody damn wings…**Get me out!"**_

Snape pulled her up by her tiny feet and sat her on his open hand again. Nyx crawled around until she was re-oriented, and as she did so her rescuer said bluntly, "She's a bit stupid sometimes, but she's kinda cute. At least she's good for a laugh."

Nyx rounded on him, flattened her large ears and glared at him. _"The **nerve** of - ! I don't know whether that was an insult or a compliment, but I'm leaning on **insult**."_

The 16-year-old ignored her again as Slughorn had another good laugh. "Yes, she _is_ rather adorable," he agreed, wiping a tear of mirth from his eye. "Though, knowing you, I doubt her name is. What is it, anyway?"

Snape's face and mind went blank. He realized he should have been expecting this, but…_Should I use her real name, or make one up?…_ Of all the times for his brain to shut down temporarily, why did it have to be _now? _He couldn't ask her because Slughorn was standing right there…If he only had a moment to think, he could come up with something, _anything_…"…um…h-her name?…oh…it's, uh…er…it's…"

"_Scylla!"_ Nyx blurted.

"Scylla." Snape repeated before he realized it.

"Scylla?" Slughorn asked curiously. He glanced at the little bat again and gave an approving nod. "Interesting choice, but a good one. Nice to meet you, Scylla." He inclined his head to Nyx politely, grinning.

The girl stared at him before giving a happy little chirp and baring her teeth in a kind of creepy smile. Snape shot her a confused look as the portly man turned his eyes elsewhere, but Nyx offered no explanation for her sudden outburst. But what she did offer was a request.

"_Ask him if he remembers me," _she said as Slughorn started bantering on about who knows what, leading – no, _forcing_ – his student towards the Great Hall.

"Er, sir?" Snape interrupted, complying with the bat. "I have a question…"

"Ask away, m'boy!" he said.

"Do you perhaps recall teaching someone named Nyx?"

Slughorn stopped short and turned his eyes to the boy in shock. He looked a bit pale and his fingers started to quiver nervously. "…y…yes. Yes, I-I believe I do. But…but where did you come across that name, Severus?" He sounded worried, like everyone was supposed to have forgotten she had existed, or went to Hogwarts, or knew Horace Slughorn.

"Er…I heard someone talking about her…" he made up.

"Oh…well, that's a bit odd, seeing how things stand…" he murmured.

"What happened to her, professor?"

"Wh-what? Who said anything happened to her?"

"I just assumed something did, since you're talking about her like she's dead…"

Slughorn wiped his brow and said gruffly, "For all the world knows, she _is_ dead. No one's seen her in over 30 years, so there's little chance she's still…well…" He stopped quickly, looking like he was making himself upset, and sending a jab of pain to Nyx's heart…or whatever was in it's place now.

"Why hasn't anyone seen her in so long?"

"She vanished at the end of her 7th year. No one knows how, or why, or what became of her. The Ministry looked into it, but there was nothing they could do." At this point he heaved a great, sad sigh. "Terrible, terrible thing, that. Only 3 more days until she graduated, the poor girl. She would have gone places, let me tell you…Absolutely _brilliant_, and especially in Potions, much like yourself…Yes, she was one of a kind in many ways…" He paused to let another sigh escape him. "Knowing her as well as I did, I think you two would've gotten along splendidly. Both of you appreciate the same sort of things and have similar talents, not to mention you each have about the same number of friends, so no doubt you'd have a lot to chat about."

Snape shot him a bitter look as he fussed with the button on his jacket absentmindedly, giving the wall behind him a blank stare. Nyx was not surprised for him to be so candid about her now since he was no different 31 years ago to her face.

"What made her so unique, sir?" he asked, trying to hide the venom in his voice.

Slughorn cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Well, she had a very rare disease, possibly the only person to ever contract it, or at least one of very few. It made her…well, _gifted_."

"What was the disease?" He hid the sudden interest in his voice expertly.

"…well…" he muttered apprehensively. "When she was here, she gave me a death threat every time I brought it up…I'd hate to incur the wrath of her spirit if she really is gone; she was frightening enough when she was alive…I'm afraid it would be dreadful bad luck for me to talk about it."

"Oh…" Snape said, crestfallen. "I see." _What the hell is so awful that he's afraid to speak of it even though he thinks she's dead and gone?_

"…on second thought…" the Potions professor added with a sly grin as he sensed his student's disappointment. "Perhaps I can spill a little information without her getting terribly angry with me. But not _too_ much," he added quickly.

"I'd appreciate even a little," he replied honestly.

"But, first…I have to ask," Slughorn said with a most interested expression on his pudgy face. "Why are you so curious about Nyx?"

It took a nudge from the bat on his shoulder to remind him not to say, "Because she's sitting right there and she won't tell me herself." "…no real reason," he replied with a shrug. "She sounds like an interesting person, I suppose."

The man seemed satisfied with this, and began impressively. "For starters, this disease of hers made her incredibly miserable. Not because it caused any physical pain, but because of the mental pain. She always felt like she was on the brink of going insane, and she once told me it was as if there was a voice in her head telling her to do all sorts of ridiculous things that a sensible person wouldn't dream of. One I particularly remember was when she said she got the sudden urge to jump from the top of the Astronomy Tower…"

"She didn't, did she?"

"No, but only because someone stopped her. If we'd left her alone, she would've done it, I have no doubt of that. What sort of things that 'voice' made her do that she never told anyone else about, I can't and don't want to imagine. She tried all sorts of potions and spells and things, but nothing made the 'voice' go away. It was terrible for me to have to see her suffering like she did and being completely unable to help. It may have had something to do with her disappearance, but…"

"You said she was 'gifted' before," Snape interrupted. "What do you mean by that, sir?"

"Well, for instance, she had abnormally acute senses, and that made her one of the best Quidditch players Slytherin House has ever seen. Another was that she seemed rather impervious to physical damage."

"Like…?"

"Once during a match, a bludger got her in the jaw, but she was completely unhurt from it – not even a bruise! Another time, I heard that while in a Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, her class was learning how to deflect unfriendly spells. Someone's freezing jinx bounced off a shield charm and hit her, but it didn't do anything at all."

"Does anyone know why?"

"Unfortunately, we could only guess. I suppose it had something to do with how the disease was contracted, at least in Nyx's case."

"And that was…?"

Just as the man opened his mouth to speak, an annoyed screech came from Snape's shoulder. Nyx was nibbling at the collar of his robes rabidly, giving them the kind of look a child uses when they want something very badly.

"Unless I am terribly mistaken, Severus," Slughorn said, smiling. "Scylla's rather hungry."

The 5th-year sighed and said to the bat, "It can wait." He looked back at the professor to ask him to continue…but was stopped when Nyx ripped out a few of his hairs and he let out a shout of pain and clapped his hand to his head. She hopped off of his shoulder and fluttered just out of arm's reach with several black hairs dangling from her mouth. Snape glared at her and she glared back.

"Er…perhaps you ought to get her some food. She doesn't look very happy…" the Potions professor suggested carefully, edging away from the little creature.

"Fine," Snape said through gritted teeth. Nyx spat out the hairs and chirped delightedly, gliding over to him but remaining airborne as the trio made their way to the Great Hall. Agreeing to get something to eat for himself as well, Snape finally got Slughorn to leave him and watched as he waddled off to the staff table. The teenager wondered if he could take this chance to dash out before too many people spotted him, but the enticing scent of the night's meal overwhelmed him. He submitted to his growling stomach and took a seat on the edge of a noisy group of girls, yet still quite by himself, and Nyx lighted on the table next to his plate as it began to fill itself.

"So what was it you didn't want me to hear?" he asked conversationally, his voice low and his lips barely moving. He knew she was not hungry at all.

"_Nothing Horace should ever repeat in front of **anyone** as long as I'm around," _the vampire replied stiffly.

"But as far as everyone knows, you _aren't_ around," Snape pointed out. "And Slughorn didn't seem so unwilling to tell me the rest a minute ago, so I doubt he'll feel much different if I ask him about it later." He paused to twirl some spaghetti around his fork. "Which means I'll find out eventually, so if you'd like to tell me now, please do." He stared at her as he ate the noodles to drive his point in.

Nyx shot him a sour look. _"I have nothing to say. Just keep in mind that curiosity kills an awful lot of cats."_

Snape smirked and chuckled quietly, but it was cut short when a bright light whizzed past his ear, just barely missing him. His black eyes instantly locked on to the 5th-year that fired the curse, sitting at the Gryffindor table directly across from Snape. The perpetrator had extremely messy black hair and taunting, hazel eyes. A student about the same age sat next to him quietly, reading a book. That boy had light brown hair and looked just a bit undernourished and very tired. A third Gryffindor was quivering with laughter in his seat, trying his best not to turn around and look at Snape. He was mousy-looking with a small, pointed nose and watery little eyes. A fourth and final 5th-year sat opposite the one who fired a curse at the Slytherin. He was handsome with longish, black hair and dark eyes, wearing an expression of not realizing what has just passed him in order to seek out it's target; Severus Snape.

The look Snape threw back at them was one of purest loathing as he made a white-knuckled fist around the handle of the fork, and Nyx quickly inferred that they must be the ones that treated him as an outcast, and that the spell that flew by his head had missed and was not an accident. The four boys pretended not to notice him and struck up an innocent conversation about the weather.

"_They the ones that've been making you miserable?"_ she inquired.

"Yeah," he growled. "Any time you feel the urge to get some fresh blood, go for either of the two on the right. In fact, drain them dry if you're so inclined." He referred to the two black-haired boys sneaking glances at him out of the corners of their eyes.

Nyx sat back on her haunches and watched them curiously. They would have looked harmless enough to her were it not for Snape's testimony and the curse that narrowly missed him._ "What are their names?"_

"The one with his back to us is Sirius "Disgusting Prat" Black, and the other is James "Fathead" Potter," he replied venomously. "The other two are Peter "Sniveling Rat" Pettigrew and Remus Lupin – the one with his face in the book."

"_Why doesn't Mr. Lupin get a nickname?"_ the bat asked coolly.

"Because he isn't as aggressive as the rest." Snape said. "Plus I haven't been able to come up with anything really good for him yet."

Nyx fell quiet to stare at the four Gryffindors over the basket of garlic bread again. James "Fathead" was providing Sirius "Disgusting Prat" and Peter "Sniveling Rat" with some quality entertainment that involved an impression of someone unpleasant, with an excessively large nose and disgustingly greasy hair. She thought she heard one of them say something about taking someone's pants off, and when she sensed the 16-year-old beside her twitch convulsively, realized that they were talking about _him._ She sat there for a moment, thinking, before creeping to the edge of the table.

"_I'll be back in a moment."_

"Where are you going?" Snape asked without taking his eyes off James or Sirius, his grip on the fork becoming tighter and tighter.

"_It's been 31 years since I've done some good old-fashioned hell-raising, and I'm afraid I might have gotten rusty. So, I'm off to go see whether I'm just being paranoid of if I need practice," _Nyx explained in a clearly excited voice. Snape watched as she hopped off the table and glided out of sight. He wasn't sure what she was planning on doing or where she actually went, until he saw a small black shape descending on James' head as he and Sirius continued insulting Snape while Peter sniggered.

A moment after he uttered a startled yelp, James leapt out of his seat, flailing his arms around his head in a freaked-out panic. He only stopped when whatever had landed on his head got knocked off and landed in his salad rather unceremoniously. Sirius was howling with laughter at his friend as he stared at his salad, panting a bit from the unwelcome surprise. He saw a small black, furry thing pushing a lettuce leaf off of itself, and when it looked up at him he saw it was a bat.

"_Bloody – !_ Get out of my food, you little beast!" James yelled, grabbing Nyx as un-gently as possible and tossing her off to the side. "Stupid, filthy animal…" he grumbled as he sat back down, ignoring the stares he was receiving from the surrounding tables.

Snape watched with growing amusement as the bat did a flip in mid-air after being thrown, turned sharply to face the Gryffindor again, and dashed back over as fast as her wings could carry her. James was startled yet again when he saw a dark blur zooming around his head in a circle, clipping his ear or nose with a leathery wing now and then, or pulling a few hairs out. Chuckling, Sirius used a shield charm on his friend's head, which Nyx bounced off of a moment after. She landed in Lupin's pumpkin juice with a splash, forcing him to look up from the book and ask what was going on.

"Damn crazy bat keeps attacking me," James said furiously as Nyx emerged from the goblet, coughing and spluttering and soaked to the bone. She fell onto the table and lay there, dripping and trying to catch her breath, before she was seized by a very irate Gryffindor Seeker.

"Don't hurt it," Lupin said patiently. "It's probably someone's pet that got loose or something."

Nyx turned her little head to Snape and gave him a significant look; he took the hint and got up to make his way over to the scene.

"Does it have a tag or anything?" Sirius asked, peering at the little creature with mild interest.

James inspected the bat clutched in his fist, turning her upside down, sideways and everyway else, before saying, "Nope."

"Well then, if we can't find the owner, it'd make good target practice for you-know-who." The other black-haired boy suggested with a mischievous grin.

James snorted indignantly. "Like I need practice."

"You missed him before, mate." Sirius said bluntly.

Just as the other was about to reply, he saw Snape approaching calmly, looking much more confident than he should have considering what happened the past morning. "Well, speak of the devil." James said loudly, gaining looks from even more people seated in the area. Many looked excited, Nyx noticed, like the combination of 5th-years would result in a show better than the circus.

Snape glared at them with no less hatred than earlier. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked coldly.

"What's it _look_ like I'm doing, Snivellus?" he replied with a taunting grin, acting like Snape had the IQ of a rock.

"Abusing my bat." Snape retorted sharply.

"_Your_ bat?" James asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yes, Potter, _my_ bat. I see that bludger you took to the head a week ago hasn't affected your mental capacity, which is lucky for you. If you got any stupider you wouldn't be able to read the exams, and of course you'd fail and wouldn't be able to return to the school, which would be absolutely _tragic_."

Nyx let out a screechy laugh and James' grip tightened on her small body, choking her with a little squeak. "Ought to control your pet better, Snivelly. If you hadn't shown up, I might've gotten angry enough to curse it."

"What's stopping you now?" Sirius asked honestly.

"Good point," James said, pulling his wand out of his pocket carefully and pointing it at Nyx. Snape gave her a look prompting her to do something before she was hurt, and she flashed a toothy grin at him.

"_Distract him for a minute, will you?" _she asked.

"You sure that curse'll hit? I noticed your aim isn't what it used to be." Snape said cruelly. "Even from such a close distance, she's a pretty small target. And seeing as you couldn't even hit me when I wasn't moving…" He shrugged and gave him a pitying look, but it was met with a broad grin from James.

"You're right. Next time I want to curse you," he said. "I'll aim for your nose instead. I couldn't miss a target _that_ big if I was blind!"

The surrounding students at their own tables laughed heartily. Snape's face went white with rage, and his hand went for his wand. Taking her cue, Nyx spread her jaws and sank her fangs into James' hand. With a howl of pain he dropped the bat and his wand to clutch his injured hand, now sporting a series of neat little holes leaking bright red blood. Nyx soared gracefully to the floor by his feet once she was free and picked up his wand in her feet, then flapped over to Snape. Once he saw the entirety of what just happened, the color returned to his face and he joined the renewed laughter, mostly from the Slytherins.

Sirius had risen from his seat by now, pointing his own wand between the Slytherin and the bat menacingly. He wasn't sure which one to curse first. Snape patted Nyx on the head gently, smiling. "Good girl." He said convincingly.

Sirius raised his eyebrows curiously before his face morphed into one of delighted nastiness. "Oh, it's a _she_? Well, I have to congratulate you, Snivelly. You finally got yourself a girlfriend!"

Half of the student population erupted into laughter, drowning out the quiet pop that came from the spot just to Snape's right. James' wand suddenly fell from nowhere and landed in the spaghetti sauce.

"Bad luck, mate," Sirius said while shaking his head sadly and reaching over to the bowl. He picked the sauce-covered wand out and tried to wipe it off a bit. "Here you a-_AAAAAGH!"_

The Gryffindor dropped both wands and his free hands flew to his rear, which was apparently in extreme pain. He swatted at something unsuccessfully and spun around, yelling frantically, _"Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!"_

And then, producing the strongest wave of laughter yet, everyone saw the little black bat clamped to the seat of Sirius' pants, digging it's claws into his ass and biting down determinedly.

"Don't move!" James commanded before firing a Stinging Hex at Nyx. She sensed it coming and pulled her teeth and front claws out and beat her wings to propel herself away from the teenager, but only released her clawed feet enough to hold on to three layers of fabric. When she flew out of the way of the hex, a deafening rip sounded, followed by an even louder scream of pain, drowned out only by the Slytherin's cheers for the little bat.

The Stinging Hex connected with Sirius' bare skin, exposed through the hole Nyx tore with her claws.

-------------------------------------------------------------

The door to the Slytherin boys' dormitory swung open and Snape staggered in and nearly collapsed onto the floor, shaking with laughter. He had the sense to get out of the Great Hall the moment Nyx told him that she was finished, and before James or Sirius could try to kill him.

"That…was…bloody…_brilliant_…" he barely choked out through the suffocating laughter.

"I'm glad you appreciated it." Nyx replied just as she finished turning back into her humanoid state, fanning the smoke away from her. She sat down at the foot of a four-poster bed, decked out with green hangings and sheets.

"The looks on their faces…" he mused, leaning against the wall and chuckling to himself. "I'm going to sleep _very_ well tonight."

"Good to hear," the girl said brightly. "Apparently I haven't lost my knack for pissing people off, especially when they deserve it so much." She gave Snape a significant look.

His laughter faded off, but the smile stayed. "Thank you for doing that. Really."

"Oh, no thanks are required." She replied airily. "I had fun, and as long as I'm having fun, I'm satisfied with just that. You're welcome anyway, though."

"So do you attack people like that often or was this a new idea?" Snape asked.

"Some parts were recycled, but when I bit that one guy in the ass – that was _all_ instinct."

The 5th-year laughed again. "That was _perfect_…making Potter's hex hit him instead of you…he won't be able to sit for a week...I don't know how you could think of that so fast."

Nyx shrugged. "My mind's got a permanent speed jinx on it, I guess."

And that was indeed true; she had not stopped thinking since she awoke less than an hour before. Many of her thoughts had been confused, worried, angry and depressed, but most of all they had been curious. Curious about the obviously unique young man that accidentally resurrected her, curious as to why _he_ was the one to wake her and not someone else, and especially curious about why they were so uncannily similar. But above all, she was curious about the future.

If she stayed with him as long as she needed to catch up with the world, and did, what would she do afterwards? Should she go and do the one thing that would get herself caught by the Ministry, but bring her unfathomable happiness? …but what if that didn't happen? What if all she found was misery more far-reaching than she had ever experienced before, and a host of pain too unbearable for even her to bear?

_No, that's ridiculous. That would never happen. He's not like that._

But how did she know that in 31 years, he hadn't changed into someone that _was_ like that?

…_dammit, Nyx, stop bring so paranoid. This'll work itself out just fine, it always does. _

But what if this time, it _doesn't_ work itself out just fine?

…_no, that can't happen. I won't **let** it happen. _

But if she _couldn't_ stop it, what would she have to fall back on? Who would she have left to turn to?

…_n…no one at all…_

There was Severus Snape, but she didn't yet know if he was a blessing or a curse. He was her link to the world that she didn't know, and he kindly agreed to help her acquaint herself with it, but…

…_he's unnaturally sharp. Horace would have done me in if he'd said another word to him…Even if he didn't spell it out, Severus would've put the pieces together well enough. If I plan on being around him for any length of time, I'll need to be extra careful of what I say and do…The last thing I need is to be shunned again…And I refuse to miss any more time…I've missed too much already…_

…_This is all so strange…déjà vu, I think it was called…I don't think it's a simple coincidence. Severus is too much like him, and **he **was too much like my father, and they're **both** too much like me. I just hope **I** don't start becoming like my father…it was bad enough seeing the resemblance in **him**, I **definitely **don't need to see it in my **own** reflection…_

…_at any rate, I'm glad I'm back to life again. Maybe things will go better this time around. New person, new life…Who knows, maybe it was Severus because Fate decided to pick on me again. Maybe I'm supposed to help him, like last time…or he's supposed to help me…_

…_yeah, right. The only help anyone can give you, Nyx, is a swift, painless death, or a cure so you can give **yourself** a swift, painless death. That's the only thing you want, isn't it?_

…_or some Oreos. _

_They're just too yummy._

--- to be continued in Chapter 16 : Heart of the Heartless ---

* * *

**Disclaimer: **Own not, profit not, sue not. (With exception of Nyx - a.k.a. Scylla.) 

**A/N:** Sorry this was late, but I just didn't have time to finish it until now. I would've worked on it Friday night and Saturday morning, but I was over at a friend's house all Friday night, and then I was at an art class all Saturday morning, so I was working on it all this afternoon. (It's Saturday in Kavi-Landright now, by the way.) So, for those who were pissed that this chapter wasn't here yet when you checked, sorry, but I do the bestI damn well can.

Which brings me to another thing. If a chapter is ever late in getting posted, check my profile. Chances are there'll be a note somewhere telling you why it's late. If not, then chances are it's going up very soon, so be patient. (If you don't know how to get to my profile, just click on "kavi-sama" at the top of the page. Tis in blue.)

**General Notes:** "Dreckiges Tier" is "Dirty Animal" in German, if you forgot since last chapter. I used that because that's what James called her. Because he's a Fathead. (Hooray for Lily.)...what, you were expecting something more impressive? It's in German; that's impressive enough.

Just how Nyx survived her little crucifixion ordeal will be covered later, as will who did it and why. It's not who you'd expect OR why, I assure you... -hobbles off laughing-

Also, Nyx is so nice and polite until she gets to know people. _Then_ the abuse starts. (Snape: "You don't know my _pain_...-sob-") Next chapter is even better/worse. (Better for the people that think the Snape Abuse is hysterically funny, worse for Snape.) (S: -eyes widen in fear-)

I got the name Scylla from Greek Mythology. Scylla was a beautiful Nymph that pissed off Circe (a witch, ironically) because the guy Circe liked was in love with Scylla, thought Scylla couldn't care less for him. So, Circe turned her into a monster with 12 legs, 6 heads with 3 rows of teeth in each, andwas a mass of dog-like barking monsters from the waist down. Not very pretty. Anyway, she lived in a huge rock next to the sea that was totally smooth and unclimbable, directly across from a whirlpool, Charybdis. Whenever a ship would sail underneath Scylla's rock, each of her 6 heads would pick off a man on the ship and eat 'em up.

...why I find that so cool will probably be reason to put me in therapy, so let's not go there.

I hope you enjoyed Nyx's little Marauder Attack Spree, because I enjoyed writing it and imagining it. I'll be bringing the Marauders back kinda soon, and then again in the distant future, so be happy if you're a Marauder-Junkie. -grin-

Lots of foreshadowing in Nyx's little thought sequence at the end. And that includes the thing about the Oreos, too...except the Oreos are foreshadowing Nyx's nature. I'll say this much: Oreos are simple. There is nothing complex about an Oreo. Nyx loves Oreos. Oreos make Nyx happy. Nyx will do anything for Oreos.

...god, it's like I'm speaking in code. Anyway, you'll get it later. It really is very important. (Hiya! might get it, or maybe Shannon, or maybe Colleen, or maybe...damn, who else is reading this? -d'oh-)

**Preview: **Whoopee for Valentine's Day. Or at least Nyx thinks so because this is the first good one she's had in an awful long time. Contains a non-lethal dose of fluffiness, plenty more Snape Abuse (-cheers-),one last flashback scene (for now, anyway), and WAR! ...Nyx-style! Woo! -parties-

**Final Words:**As usual, I'll do my best to update as soon as I can. Again, if for any reason I'm a little late, check my profile to see what's up. If nothing else it'll make me feel like I'm not wasting my time putting it there in the first place. On another note, I have a sad story I'd like to share with you:

**O**nce upon a time there was a girl who went to a school that did a ton of volunteer work in the community. This school had a special day where all the students went to a place to do volunteer work and basically help out. This girl went to a nursing home on this day, and had a lovely time. She heard that the oldest resident there was a woman named Pat(ricia) who was 110 years old. She got to meet Pat and found that she was a very, very sweet lady even though she wasn't always 'with it,' just because she was so very old.

The first thing Pat said to this girl when she met her was, "Oh, you're so pretty."

This girl didn't hear that from even her friends and family very often, if ever at all. She didn't think that she was ugly, but she knew she was no Miss America. Hearing "you're so pretty" from a complete stranger absolutely made her day.

She thanked Pat, and once she did, Pat asked what her name was. The girl told her several times, but Pat didn't seem to be able to hear her very well. Pat tried looking at the name tag on her shirt, and even when the girl brought it right up to her face she couldn't read it.

As the girl tried to tell Pat who she was or show her the name tag, Helen, the woman sitting next to her, said, "Don't bother. She can't see a thing."

The girl didn't really think about what she heard from those two old ladies until she got home that night. And she didn't tell anyone about it because it hurt enough just to think about it. And nobody else knew about it except for Pat and Helen and the girl.

Until she typed it here, and you just finished reading it.

**Thanks for reading, and have a better day than I did.**

**--- k**avi-**s**ama **---**


	16. Chapter 16: Heart of the Heartless

Chapter 16 – Heart of the Heartless

Nyx woke rather suddenly that day. No one had made any noise to wake her. She just woke up automatically once her body was satisfied with the amount of sleep it got, which was odd since she typically had to be kicked, slapped or beaten with a very solid object before she woke up. She felt refreshed and light-spirited, which was also strange because she rarely woke up feeling anything other than tired and crotchety like the old lady she was. Somehow, she just knew that today was going to be a great day, and there was nothing that could change that. It was simply Fate.

She sat up in her warm, comfortable bed and stretched enormously, inhaling and exhaling deeply. Her body felt unusually springy and alive, and she could feel bottled-up energy flowing through her. She briefly wondered what caused the change to this from her usual mornings of lead-weight-limbs, no energy until she ingested a large amount of caffeine, and a sore something-or-other. And it wasn't just Nyx's body that felt unusually young and alive; her mind was strangely clear and attentive, thinking twice as fast and as much as usual. It almost made her wish she had to sit her N.E.W.T.s because she got the feeling that she would have aced every last one, even Muggle Studies which she'd never taken in the first place.

Nyx hopped out of bed and approached a silver-framed full-length mirror attached to the wall. She stared at her reflection for a long while, but could find nothing different about herself. She was the same messy-and-somewhat-wavy black-haired, light-silvery-green-eyed, thin, pale-skinned girl in silky green pajamas she had been when she went to bed. Perhaps her eyes looked a little brighter, but that may have been the blinding morning light coming in through a window.

Nyx shrugged at herself in the mirror and stepped over to her trunk to pull out the day's outfit and spread it out on the bed as she usually did. She paused as she crouched on the ground to shut the lid of the trunk, and thought for a moment. Nyx quickly scanned the room and found that she was the only one awake that Sunday morning. Hiding an excited giggle, she reached under the bed and pulled out a good-sized painting in a sleek black frame. It was Sakura's birthday gift to her a month before, and she couldn't stop looking at it.

In the painting, she, Nyx, was seated atop a globe, looking like the Empress of the Universe, wearing her favorite armor and crossing her legs in a very proper, regal way. She looked triumphant and more than a bit haughty, like she was saying, "Yeah, I'm awesome. Get over it." Floating around her in the dark, starry sky were 4 little puppet-like people; Sakura, pigtails as bright as ever and sporting a fabulously flowery kimono; Maxu, looking as American as ever with his Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame shirt and baggy blue jeans; Edgar, barely visible as ever, and little more than a few silvery lines on the canvas; and Jack, covered from head to toe in black as ever, with the exception of his stunning blue eyes. Hovering over Nyx's right shoulder was a miniature Louis, and over the left a miniature Schlange, who both looked rather like stuffed animals, but in a good way. A small army of uniformed people and dragons were spread out across the globe, signifying her conquering the world. But her favorite part was what was being squashed underneath the globe, with X's for eyes and his tongue sticking out stupidly: Voldemort.

Nyx laughed quietly to herself as she gazed at the painting appreciatively. Lately it had been one of the only things that could cheer her up. She hadn't been depressed, just neutral, and as far as she was concerned that was worse because "at least if you're depressed you _feel _something." Nothing exciting had happened to her since her birthday, and even that was pretty mediocre compared to certain other events in her life. She was pleased with her gifts, though; a black shirt with "appease me or PERISH" in dripping red letters, stocks in Nabisco to support her Oreo addiction, a multitude of top-notch broom care supplies, and a breathtaking supreme-quality ring from Jack. It was in the shape of a white gold snake corkscrewing up and around her finger, cloaked in a hundred microscopic black diamonds, with two larger white diamond eyes for a stunning contrast.

Jack knew his master typically didn't care for jewelry and other such pointless things, with the exception of the blood ruby and mysteriously beautiful star-shaped diamond ring she only wore on special occasions, so he made it a point to find out what kind of ring she would buy herself if she absolutely had to – if he was going to run the risk of getting her (of all people) jewelry, he was going to have to go one step short of giving her a formidable amount of money and telling her to get whatever she wanted. He would find out what she liked in a ring, and save her the trouble by getting it for her himself. She clearly stated that the ring could not be silver or have anything remotely like a heart shape anywhere on it; both would make her absolutely _sick_, though she failed to mention that fact concerning the silver. He also discovered that the only gems she actually took a liking to were rubies and diamonds, namely blood rubies and black diamonds, and that she was partial to white gold. Nyx also stated that because of her 'uniqueness,' the ring of her choice could not be any less uncommon, one-of-a-kind if possible. She always took a liking to the strange and unconventional, yet rather simple and sophisticated, but also with an elegantly dark twist. The black diamond snake was _perfect_.

After replacing the painting gently under the bed, Nyx glanced at her nightstand where her new favorite accessory lay in a locked metal box that only it's owner could open. Jack's cage sat beside the box, and inside sat Jack in his raven form, sleeping peacefully. She wondered fleetingly why he had chosen to give her such an expensive, thoughtful gift – it _was_ custom-made, after all. She certainly liked it, and let him know _many_ times in the past month-and-a-day, but he never said why he willingly fronted over half of the multiple-digit bill with his own money. So far, his only excuse for going far above and beyond the call of duty was that he "knew you would really like it."

Nyx shook her head to make herself stop thinking about it. She had a pretty good idea of why he did it, but in the event that she was either jumping to conclusions or over-thinking the whole matter, she would not be pleased with herself. And today, she was in no condition to feel that way. Shifting her vision elsewhere, Nyx spotted Louis, curled up around the base of the cage. He hadn't grown quite so much in the past month, but he was still almost 3-and-a-half feet long. Thankfully, his diet was working wonders, and he was starting to look more proportionate. The little basilisk was still too weighty for Nyx to tote around comfortably, but at least he was getting compliments, tips and encouragement from all the residents of the Slytherin girl's dormitory. He felt like he was in a support group for compulsive eaters.

Nyx lifted her custom-made anti-theft charm on the box containing the glittering snake ring and removed it carefully. Slipping it on her right middle finger, she saw Louis' tail twitch in his sleep. She laughed quietly to herself as she recalled what he had said about the ring when he saw it: _"Oh, fan-bloody-tastic. I have a wealthy brother. Look at 'im, thinking he's so important, covered in diamonds, the git. Well, he doesn't worry me. I know I don't need to cost a couple hundred galleons to stay the favorite, right mummy?" _

To which she replied quite seriously: _"Yeah, but he's still in better shape than you are." _If Nyx were a normal mortal and Louis had any venom, she surely would have died.

Returning to the present, Nyx dressed herself quickly and exited through the common room to take a little walk. At least some of that extra energy stewing in her limbs needed to be used up before she went to eat. She soon found herself lingering at a large window. The girl gazed out across the grounds, covered in thick, pure white snow, glistening in the early morning sun like sugar. She could see the Quidditch pitch in the distance and felt a sudden ache to return to the game. The once-familiar sensations of the cold wind whipping through her, feeling weightless as she dove and turned like a bird, the adrenaline rush when she plummeted to the ground but pulled up at the last moment, and the indescribable feeling of catching the Snitch and hearing hundreds of people cheering for her suddenly returned to her. Now she wanted more than anything to play again.

Nyx sighed thoughtfully as she turned from the window to meander off to the Great Hall. She could talk to Severus later about him booting someone off the Slytherin team in favor of her. He would go for it, she was sure, but her housemates would hate her even more for seeming like a spoiled, egotistical brat.

_Until we win every bloody game I fly in, _she thought, smirking. _Then they'd **worship **me._

She was still smiling to herself as she took a seat at the long table and helped herself to some biscuits. Nyx stared around the large room at the less than 20 others there. Most looked like they were doing homework, but a few were scribbling long notes and letters, with flowers and chocolates and other gifts sitting nearby. Almost each person writing had an owl waiting patiently beside them, and as one finished, he tied the parchment to the bird's leg and put a pink rose in its beak. The owl flew off in the direction of the recipient, and the sender heaved an audible sigh. He looked nervous and anxious as he ate his breakfast, and it finally dawned on Nyx.

_That's right, today's Valentine's Day. _She thought a bit dimly. In a moment, she gave a little shudder and looked repulsed. _Ugh…I **hate** this holiday. Sappy, doe-eyed ninnies running around giving each other chocolates and crap to win their affections…Makes me ill. I'm glad **I** won't be getting anything today._

At that very moment, a large, golden eagle-owl descended in front of her with a letter in its beak and a small black box in its talons.

…_**damn**. Spoke too soon._

Nyx took a calming breath and took the letter carefully. With a painful jolt she saw that there was nothing more than "OVALS" written on the envelope, and she realized who it must have been from. She opened it with shaking hands; there was only one person in the world that ever addressed her as that, but could it really be from him? She began reading with a sort of terrified excitement…

"To my dearest OVALS,

"How are you? Well, I hope, because I would hate to be any more fortunate than you. Heaven knows I wouldn't deserve it. I am sure you know what I have been up to lately, assuming you have deduced who this is from by now, and I obviously know about you to have this mailed to the right place, which is also assuming that the correct person is reading this.

"I would like to extend my sincerest congratulations on your many achievements since we last spoke face-to-face, which I am looking forward to doing again as soon as it is possible. If there is anything within your power that you might do to make the day we meet again arrive sooner, I would appreciate it more than I can describe. In return, I shall also do the best that I can to make the world run smoothly so that everything goes as it ought to.

"I must tell you that I have not changed much since we last spoke, and I doubt you have either. But because of that, I sincerely hope that you haven't forgotten to tell me anything that would explain what happened all those years ago. I am not angry, but I am confused and a bit wounded if you still do not trust me completely. You know that I trust you with more than my life, and you swore to do the same for me. I simply hope you have not gone back on that promise.

"But despite that, I still miss you terribly. I was almost destroyed after it happened, and every time I reminisce about it it feels as if my very being is being ripped in two. I thought that it was somehow my fault and I never would have forgiven myself if I were anyone else, and I hope that you can forgive me for not being able to do more to help you. So, because I have finally been able to contact you, I have a small gift that I have been meaning to present to you for many years. I hope that it will help you to forgive me, and to prove that I am who I say I am. I think you will appreciate it, especially since today is what it is and I know how much you hate it. This ought to make it more like the only good Valentine's Day you ever had, according to you, which was the first we had together.

"Attending to business, I will send you the complete plans once you reply to the letter you are currently reading. However, what you write will mean nothing unless our sign is present somewhere in it or on it. I ask this only to be certain of who has read this and is responding to it, as it is impossible to guess for anyone but us. I cannot afford to let this information fall into anyone's hands but yours, as I am sure you understand. Besides you and I, only one other soul knows anything of it, and that is his Highness. If you have any questions, talk to him about them as I will not be able to be there to answer them myself, although I would rather like to. (As you can see, I am taking absolutely no chances with misdirected mail, because only you know who I am referring to.)

"I have now just realized how inappropriately long this letter has become, and I apologize. There is so much I need to tell you, ask you and discuss with you, it would fill a book, so I shouldn't have tried to put even some of it into a letter. I therefore would like to wish you the best of luck in all that you do, and wish that you were here with me right now. But until then, je t'aime, ti amo, Ich liebe Dich, and I love you.

"Yours until death or insanity parts us,

"The Frighteningly Friendly Dementor."

Nyx stared at the letter. She read it twice, a third time, then a fourth, and soon a seventh. Her mind had just come to a screeching halt; she was not completely registering who had just sent her a letter. She recognized the elegant yet un-flamboyant handwriting the instant she saw it. And the name it was addressed to…"OVALS"…There was only one living soul who ever called her that. And that was the same person who was the only one that could possibly know about the rest of it, from the incident so long ago to 'his Highness'; and that was the "Frighteningly Friendly Dementor."

Nyx smiled and laughed quietly as she stared at the code name, feeling a pleasant squirm in her stomach. That was the last person she ever expected to hear from, especially under the circumstances. But, she was unbelievably glad to hear from him, and glad to hear that he was coming through with those plans. She had forgotten how eloquent he could be, and wondered when he learned to speak three new languages…then again, for all she knew, he could speak 50 languages. She hadn't seen him in ages, so who knew how much he had _really _changed. He said he hadn't changed much, but what was _that_ supposed to mean? Nyx already had a mental list of things about him that were obviously different since they last spoke, and they were enough to let her know that he had indeed changed. And his saying that she probably hadn't changed was just laughable. Nyx often admired him for his intelligence, but this was not one of those times. But which of them had changed more, or for better or worse was yet to be seen. They would not know until they met, and when that would happen was anyone's guess.

But, at the same time as she was a bit annoyed with him, Nyx was very happy to know that he still cared for and loved her. Conjuring up a quill, ink well, and sheet of parchment, Nyx prepared to reply to the letter. She supposed she would be there for a while in order to address every issue he brought up in _his_ letter, but it was Saturday and she didn't have any plans. There was a Hogsmeade trip that day, but she hadn't planned on going unless someone decided to invite her last-minute, but that was doubtful. She wasn't exactly in the mood to be around people; she knew she could make better use of her unusual mood by herself, doing whatever she pleased. Plus she needed some time to think about that letter, and to go over the plans when she received them.

The owl interrupted her as she made to address the letter with an aggravated hoot and shoved the small box at her. She had been so pleasantly surprised by the letter she had completely forgotten it. Nyx took the simple, black box into her hand, where it fit nicely, and tested its weight. There was definitely something in there, but it didn't seem very large, and from the muffled rattling it made when she shook it gently it was rather solid. The girl lifted the cover off and set it to the side, revealing a napkin-sized sheet of the purest white silk she had ever seen.

As she reached out to lift up the corner, a fleeting image of her surprise when she first saw Louis flashed into her mind. But she didn't need to convince herself that whatever was in the box was harmless; he would have warned her if it was, and she _did_ trust him more than he thought she did.

Opening the silky envelope in the box, Nyx's throat sealed up and her eyes started drowning in tears. Her slender, long-fingered hands clamped themselves around her mouth, hanging open in utter disbelief. But the disbelief soon gave way to an unfathomable wave of wild happiness as her lips curved into the broadest, most sincere smile she had displayed in years, and a river of overjoyed tears cascaded down her face. Her shaking hands lifted the gift out of the folds of the silk and clutched it to where her heart once was, as protectively as if it were her first-born child.

And for the first time in 52 years, Nyx felt her own heartbeat.

-----------------------------------------------------------

"…no, really, I'm losing my mind here!"

"Oh, please, Hermione."

"Yeah, you'll be fine. You always are."

"You don't know what you're talking about! Arithmancy is the hardest subject they could possibly teach us! I have to memorize the next 5 chapters by heart so I have the slightest chance of passing that test tomorrow! It's _mad!"_

"Come on, since when have you had a problem memorizing 5 lousy little chapters in a day?"

"In other subjects this wouldn't be a problem, but _Arithmancy_…I don't know what Professor Vector was _thinking_ when she assigned this…I'll _fail_, I know it…"

Harry stopped abruptly and rounded on her. "Hermione, you _can't_ fail. It's a law of the Universe. It's like Snape being pleasant; _it can't happen."_

"Trust us, Hermione, we've seen it in action for the past 6 years," Ron added with a solemn nod.

Hermione looked a bit less worried, but not entirely convinced. "I hope you're right…Sure, it's just one test, but you never know how it'll affect your grade in the end…even if I fail it, I'm sure it won't bring my grade down _that_ much…maybe she wasn't even serious about giving us a test and just wanted us to learn it…"

"That's the spirit," Harry said, grinning.

The three Gryffindors were making their way up a simple stone staircase in a large, square-shaped room connecting four hallways through large, stone arches. At the top of the stairs, a balcony with a stone banister led to two doors; one leading to the Astronomy tower and the other to the next floor up. The one leading to the tower actually first led out to another balcony, parallel to one of the hallways, and at the end of which was another door concealing a staircase up to the tower. The staircase and balcony made an L-shape, centered in one corner across from a very old statue that was commonly believed to be in the likeness of either Rowena Ravenclaw or Helga Hufflepuff, although there was no credible proof for either.

As they reached the balcony, the trio heard a distant, loud bang, and someone shouting furiously. Two sets of running footsteps began approaching the connecting room very quickly, one distinctly lighter and more nimble, the other a bit heavier and slightly slower. As the sound came nearer and nearer, they could make out someone's slightly crazed, triumphant laughter, possibly a girl's.

And in another moment, Nyx came streaking through the room, cackling gleefully and waving something in her hand around proudly. Snape trailed her by a short distance, bellowing as he passed through the room, **_"Get back here you insufferable little wand-stealing imp!"_**

"I'm not an insufferable little wand-stealing imp!" she yelled back. "You're just clumsy to get your wand stolen!"

"_Not if it was stolen by YOU!"_ Snape replied furiously, insinuating that she could do it to _anybody_ and that didn't mean that they were clumsy.

Each of the Gryffindors stared at each other in turn, a wide grin growing on each of their faces. In silent laughter, they crept through the doorway leading to the Astronomy Tower to the balcony above where Nyx was still running from Snape. By now, Snape was even farther behind her, and seemed to know it because he was slowing down. As the trio situated themselves where they could watch the show comfortably without being seen, Nyx peeked over her shoulder to see why her pursuer had stopped pursuing her. And was hit in the face by Snape's shoe.

The girl was knocked off her feet and landed facedown on the hard stone, but did not release the man's wand. Snape walked over to her calmly, looking like he had a limp because of his missing shoe, which he retrieved from the floor as soon as he could reach it. Nyx pushed herself up into a sitting position, looking dazed, to see her friend glaring down at her. He held out a pale hand in front of her, open palm up, to receive his wand. Nyx looked from Snape's face to his hand, and back to his face, and then back to his hand, before grabbing the hand and shaking it earnestly.

"Howdy there, pard! Mah name is Earl!" she said in a cowboy-like southern drawl before releasing a hearty laugh that sounded like, "Hyuck hyuck hyuck!"

She stopped laughing when Snape's shoe hit her around the face a few times.

The owner of the wand reached down and plucked it out of Nyx's hand while she was stunned, and the three Gryffindors above found it increasingly difficult to suppress their laughter. When she snapped out of it, Nyx looked up at Snape like a sad puppy as she rubbed a spot where the shoe hit her particularly hard.

"What the _hell_ possessed you to do that?" the DADA professor asked coldly.

"Well," she replied as she got to her feet. "You seemed like you were ready to spend a perfectly normal, uneventful day all by your lonesome because you know what day it is and you're particularly grumpy on this day, and I just couldn't resist adding a little mayhem to your life to make sure you didn't get into a rut, because those are just _dreadful_ and I'd hate to see you suffer unnecessarily when there's something I can do to help."

"Oh, you're too kind," Snape said, rolling his eyes. He put his hand on her shoulder to support himself as he stood on one leg to put his shoe back on and added, "I sincerely hope I get to see the day where you do something like this to someone who _really_ doesn't appreciate it. I certainly don't, but I could be much worse to you about it. Even though you can't die, I'm sure there's _someone_ who could put you through a living hell for annoying them one too many times." He gave her a significant look as he said 'someone.'

"I'm sorry, I didn't know I looked like a piece of furniture!" Nyx snapped, edging out from underneath Snape's hand and making him trip. He glowered at her and she stuck her tongue out at him. "…if we're talking about the same person, I got a letter from him today."

"Really?" he asked with honest surprise. "What did it say?"

"I beg your pardon but since when is it your business what I get in the post?"

"…ohhhh. It was a _love_ letter. How touching."

"Well…it was _mostly_ like a love letter, but not nearly as ridiculously sappy as some of the other stuff I've seen, plus some business."

"I see. But what I _don't_ see is whet _he_ ever saw in _you_."

"Oh, you're just jealous. You know you love me." She grinned and batted her eyelashes at him.

Snape crossed his arms and looked her over from head to toe with a critical eye. "…Don't flatter yourself."

Nyx's jaw dropped and she gaped at him. "Oh, sure, _you're_ one to talk!"

The man's eyes narrowed at her in utmost loathing. With a lightening-fast flick of his wand and not a single uttered word, Nyx was yanked up into the air by her ankle. She yelped in surprise, but soon got over it, and with a swish of her fingers Snape's limbs snapped together and he fell backwards onto the floor with a loud thud, rigid as a board. The girl was released from the spell and somehow landed on her feet, laughing delightedly as Snape glared at her from the floor. Grudgingly, she released him and pulled him to his feet with much more force than a girl her size should have.

"Well," she said with a sigh as she brushed the dust off of her friend's black robes. "I can see that you're in no mood to have a little fun, _as usual_, so I'll be off to see if I got any more love letters. Matter of fact, I think I might send _you_ one for my own amusement…but then again, since it's you, maybe it's not worth my time." She stuck her nose up and started walking away haughtily.

Snape stared after her blankly. He pondered for a moment, tapping his chin with a pale finger, before raising his wand again and pointing it at Nyx's back. He pulled his arm back a little, very slowly, and suddenly released it. A resounding snap sounded through the hall, mixed with Nyx's yell of surprise and pain. Her hands flew to the area between her shoulder blades, where her bra had just collided with her skin. Hermione's eyes became very wide and, clamping a hand over her open mouth, knew that Snape had just done something to warrant a _very _nasty punishment.

Nyx turned around very slowly, wearing an expression of restrained fury, piercing the man with noticeably reddened eyes. Snape stared back at her with a defiant smirk, twirling his wand between his long fingers.

"_You. Are. So. DEAD."_ Nyx snarled through gritted teeth.

Getting into a proper dueling position, Snape replied, "Go on, make my day."

The girl smirked as well as she pulled out her wand and rolled up her sleeves, shifting into a position exactly like Snape's. "Before I make you pay _dearly_ for that, I'm curious as to why you did it."

"I can't stand it when you have the last word like that," he said. "Not to mention my sudden urge to curse the daylights out of you for revenge…"

Nyx frowned at him rather childishly, and with a quick wave of her wand sent a hail of black arrows at the ex-Potions master. He deflected them with a simple shield charm before firing a whip of bright green fire at her. Nyx vanished in a cloud of black smoke just as the whip was about to wrap itself around her neck, and reappeared several feet behind Snape, who had seemingly expected this. He spun around just in time to counter a freezing charm and hit the girl with another Levicorpus, pulling her up into the air again with a shout of protest.

"Damn you!" she snarled, flailing her arms around pathetically. "Damn you, damn you, _damn you_!"

"You called _me_ clumsy for getting my wand stolen, but look who's hanging upside down for the second time in 5 minutes," Snape said coolly before using a tickling jinx on her for quite a while, enjoying himself immensely.

Nyx glowered at him through her spastic laughter and tears dripping off of her forehead until he finally stopped and backed away for his own safety. She took a moment to catch her breath before breaking out into an impishly nasty grin. "All right, Severus, no more Miss Nice Monster. It's no-holds-barred from here on out."

"Fine by me, but don't start crying when I win," Snape said like she was 3 years old.

"_You'll_ be the one crying when I'm done," Nyx retorted, snickering ominously. In another puff of dark smoke, she disappeared, but did not seem to reappear. The DADA professor glanced all around the hallway almost frantically, as did the trio sitting on the balcony. Without warning, a bright flash lit up the room as Nyx reappeared, perched on the banister at the other end of the hall. When the light disappeared, the girl flew into a fit of giggles, and Snape did not know why…until he looked down at his robes; they were the most vivid shade of pink he had ever seen in his life.

Snape turned very white with the faintest hint of a lesser pink on his pale cheeks. Turning his wand back on Nyx, he cursed her silently, making her disappear into another cloud of darkened smoke. A small black shape fell from the balcony, somersaulting in the air until it hit the ground with a squeak. A little bat sat up and looked at Snape fearfully as he approached it with a nasty smile on his face. Nyx the bat started scampering away across the floor, but the other petrified her before she got very far. Soon Snape was standing over her impressively as she screeched out a medley of curses and insults that no one could understand. The man lifted his foot into the air and gently placed it on top of her little body.

"Poke, " he said as he 'poked' her, forcing out a squeak of pain and protest. He 'poked' her a few more times, grinning maliciously, until the charm wore off and Nyx pulled herself out from underneath the shoe, disappearing in a dark blur a second later. The trio of spectators could not see where she went, but Snape certainly knew. A deafening _RIP_ sounded and a large, dark blur shot up and out the neck of the DADA professor's robes, landing a good distance away on the floor. All eyes were on the little black bat sitting triumphantly next to a pair of very badly ripped black boxers. Snape's jaw hit the floor and his face turned a shade of pink to rival his robes.

Not stopping to wonder how in the world she could have done that, Snape fired another curse at her just as she returned to her human state. To her sincere surprise, her head toppled off her shoulders and landed on the floor with a thunk, her neck sliced cleanly open but not bleeding very much. Hermione gagged and turned away as the boys wondered how much trouble Snape would be in if another staff member walked in at that very moment.

Nyx's head fortunately landed right side up, gaping at the man in indignation. "You _bastard!_ You just beheaded me!"

"My, what an astute observation," Snape replied silkily, smirking. The color had left his cheeks, returning it to its usual shade.

"You just wait until I get back together! You're gonna _regret_ that," she snarled. Turning her eyes to her body, still sitting quite upright next to Snape's ruined underwear, she snapped, "Oi! You! Get your ass over here!"

The headless body turned to 'face' it's head almost questioningly.

"YES, _YOU_!" Nyx shouted at it. "Pick me up and put me back on NOW!"

Her body got to its feet a bit unsteadily and started walking in the completely opposite direction.

"TURN AROUND YOU DAMNED FOOL! I'M OVER _HERE!"_

The body stopped and turned towards the voice almost sheepishly, staggering a little because it had almost no sense of balance. Snape watched with mild amusement, not lifting a finger to help.

"All right, that's better…much better…why didn't anyone tell me my ass was so big?…okay, almost there…right, you can stop now…stop…_stop_ already! …OH, _SHIT_, DON'T STEP ON ME!"

To Snape's great disappointment, Nyx's foot missed her head by an inch as it walked blindly. The disembodied head continued bitching and yelling at its body as it ran into the wall stupidly, and didn't see her friend striding over with a rather ominous smirk on his face.

"…don't you even _THINK_ about kicking me!" she yelped with widened eyes as the DADA professor came closer. "I'll nibble your damn toes off! I swear to god!"

"Quit being so paranoid," Snape said calmly, reaching down and picking the head up rather gently.

Nyx gasped in horror. "_Don't punt me!_ For the love of all that's good in the world, **_don't punt me! I beg you!"_**

He gave her a long calculating stare before taking two steps over to her body staggering around dimly, grabbing her shoulder with one hand and placing her head back on her neck with the other. Nyx blinked a few times as her neck promptly repaired itself, sewing up the cut with whitish thread that blended into her light skin as soon as it's work was accomplished. She poked around to see if she was properly healed, and found her neck to her satisfaction.

"I was _sure_ you were gonna punt me for a second there," she said.

"I decided not to only out of the goodness of my heart," Snape replied in a falsely kind voice.

"…alright, just for being a smartass, I'm not letting you off." Nyx added darkly, cracking her knuckles. "I don't like it when I'm beheaded because it takes forever to get my head back on if I'm alone, plus I've been waiting to use this curse on somebody since I learned it."

"Oh, spare me!" the man begged dramatically, clasping his hands together as if in prayer.

She gave him a dirty look and raised a slender hand. Twisting and twitching her fingers as she muttered the incantation, a reddish glow appeared in the air under her hand. It soon solidified and morphed into a shape that resembled two very large, very red lips. Nyx pulled her hand back with a snap, and the lips sprang to life, puckering up like that one aunt that pinches your cheeks and smothers you every time you see her, commenting on how big you've grown. With a jolt of terror, Snape saw that the lips were flying straight towards him, and the skeptical smirk slid off of his face as he ran from them.

"That won't do you any _goo-ood_," Nyx sang, beaming.

And she was quite right. The lips caught up to their target before he had gotten four strides away and began assaulting his face. Despite his valiant attempts at swatting them away, the lips were leaving huge red imprints all over Snape's face, and leaving him spluttering and shouting curses at both the lips and Nyx. For the moment, it wasn't that unbearable; he just had to keep his own mouth covered.

"Bugger me, you're putting up a better fight than I thought you would," the girl said with a hint of disappointment. "Oh well. Guess I'll just have to make a second pair."

"_NO!"_

That was all it took for the lips to hit the bullseye. They connected with Snape's lips and nearly sucked his face off before coming off with a wet popping noise, cackling in maniacal triumph before disintegrating. Meanwhile, Nyx was on the floor having a very hard time containing herself. Snape had turned very white, shaking with rage, as he spat and tried to get the brilliant red marks off of his face. Without warning, he rounded on the girl and bellowed,

"_AVADA KEDAVRA!"_

At the last possible moment, Nyx pushed herself up off the floor and dashed up the wall, across the ceiling, appearing as nothing more than a large dark blur, and landed on the balcony at the same time as the jet of green light left a huge burn mark on the stone. She poised herself to return an equally nasty curse, when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head only very slightly and met eyes with Harry Potter.

…_NO._

Nyx's head spun around and found Hermione and Ron on her other side, and she turned white as a sheet. "H…H…H-how long have you been here?" Her voice was barely more than a harsh, strangled whisper.

"The whole time," Harry replied, a grin spreading across his face in spite of himself.

"…the…the _**whole **time_?" the girl breathed in horror.

"Since you ran in here," Hermione added, forcing her smile down.

"Oh _no_," Nyx wailed, clutching her skull between her hands.

"What?" Snape asked from the ground.

The girl grabbed Harry by the shoulder and lifted him to his feet, wailing again. She did the same with Hermione and Ron, wailing even more loudly each time. As the Gryffindors popped up Snape became progressively whiter in the face, until he looked like he might faint dead away at any moment.

"H...how long were you up there?" he asked in the most unthreatening voice possible.

"The whole bloody time!" Nyx moaned.

Snape groaned and clapped his hands over his eyes for a few moments. When he put them down he seemed a bit more himself. "You _will not_ repeat what you saw to _anybody_!" he roared at the Gryffindors.

"Yes, professor," they said, trying very hard not to laugh. Snape was not very intimidating in bright pink robes with lip prints all over his face. Nyx realized this and cheered up.

"That color's not improving your image," she snickered. "You look like hell in it."

The man grit his teeth and remembered to change his robes back to black. Turning back to the 6th-years he snapped, "If you _ever_ bring this up again, it's detention every day for the rest of the year and a hundred points off for every second you're late!"

"Don't waste your breath. They won't tell anyone," Nyx said calmly.

"And dare I ask how you know that?" Snape snarled.

"Because I'm here too," she explained. "And after seeing me survive having my head taken off, and my display of awesome ninja skills by defying gravity and all those spells I pulled on you, methinks they'll want to stay on my good side. So they won't tell anyone." She glanced around her to see the trio nodding vigorously.

Snape still glowered up at them, daring them to laugh or say just _one _word.

"So did you like the show?" Nyx asked dryly. The ex-Potions master slapped himself in the forehead and rolled his eyes.

Harry lost it and started laughing hysterically. "It was better than cable!"

"I hate to say it, but it really was," Hermione agreed, restraining her laughter much more than her friend.

"What's cable?" Ron asked, not even cracking a smile.

"…er…never mind, I'll explain later," the female prefect said quickly.

"So," Nyx continued, grinning. "Who won?"

The three stared at her hesitantly, glancing from her to Snape. "I don't think that's a very fair question to ask right now…" Harry said out of the corner of his mouth.

"If you say _she_ won it'll cost you 50 points, Potter." Snape interjected loudly.

"You and your point-taking!" the Slytherin girl sighed in exasperation, hopping off of the banister and landing next to him gracefully. "I'm starting to think you have a fetish."

"_What?"_ he yelped, turning very slightly pink in the face again. Ron let out a bark of laughter, and Hermione clamped a hand over his mouth when Snape rounded on him. "20 points, We-"

Nyx had her wand in his face. He looked at her carefully, but couldn't decide if she was serious or not from her blank expression. "So what are you planning on using this time?" he asked conversationally.

"Nothing. I was just getting your attention," she said with a grin. "I just wanted to make sure you knew what I was going to do if you took off a single point for them laughing at you."

"…and that would be?"

"I'm going to go somewhere where you can't fire any curses at me, and say it a thousand times."

Snape's eyes narrowed at her, almost amused. "…even _you_ aren't stupid enough to do that."

"Oh, yes I am," Nyx said simply. The look slid off the professor's face, and he now looked a bit worried; he wanted more than anything to rob Gryffindor of as many points as possible by way of the Trio, but he absolutely would not allow her to say _it_.

"What?" Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow. "What are you going to say?"

"The one thing that drives _him_ absolutely **_crazy_**," she replied with an impish grin.

"And what's that?" Harry wondered aloud, cleverly disguising his sudden interest.

"All you have to do is say his first name with a – GAAHCK!"

Snape's hand had a pincer-like grip on Nyx's throat, which, from the deadly look he was giving her, was not going to be relinquished until she dropped the subject.

"…nice grip…" she gagged out. "…bloody hell…am I off…the ground?"

"Yes, and you're not returning to it until you swear not to _ever_ speak of this again," he growled at her.

"…did you forget…I can rip…your arm off…any time I want?" Nyx gasped. Snape paled even more if that was even possible at this point, and seemed to consider letting her have her way, but the girl continued with a smile, "…just kidding…Let's make a deal…I won't tell them…and you won't…take any points…okay?"

Snape threw her a long, calculating stare and let her drop to the floor. "…fine." He said stiffly.

She staggered to her feet and replied, "Glad you thought better of that. Not in the mood for people blood right now anyway." The others looked a little repulsed as the SM grinned innocently.

"Well," Snape said tiredly. "If that's all, I've had quite enough of your shenanigans for one day…not even 10 o'clock…"

Nyx snickered.

"…what?"

"Shenanigans…that's a funny word…"

Snape raised an eyebrow and stared. "…whatever. I'm leaving now."

"Oh yeah?" Nyx said. "Well good riddance, you sore loser." She stuck her tongue out at him and grinned childishly as he waved her off and stalked out of the room with his abused underwear. He had absolutely no desire to remain in the presence of _those_ three after being embarrassed like that. If it hadn't been for them, though, he would have had to admit that, for once, he actually enjoyed himself. But, in a moment, he went sprinting back into the room, brandishing his wand.

"To drive him nuts, just say 'Severus' and trill the 'r'!" she shouted up to the Gryffindors before leaping out of the way as Snape tried to tackle her. She laughed maniacally and started fleeing again with her friend close behind, madder than hell.

"Hey, Ariana!" Ron called once he could stop laughing.

"What?" she yelled back, dodging another killing curse at the end of the hall.

"You going to Hogsmeade today?"

"I didn't plan to…"

"Wanna come with us?"

"Sure! I'll meet you once I shake _him_ off!"

Nyx scampered down another hallway, and not a moment later, the trio heard an explosion, and their friend screaming frantically.

"_My ass is on fire! My ass is on fire!"_

-------------------------------------------------------------

Nyx slunk into Snape's office quietly, wearing a broad smile.

"Why thank you for knocking," her friend said dryly from behind a mountain of papers on the desk.

"You're quite welcome," she replied cheerily. "Today has been the best day of my life for the past 19 years."

"Oh it has, has it?" he asked, sounding only half-interested as he graded a very poorly written paper. "I suppose I'll indulge myself for once and _not_ mind my own business. Why?"

Nyx walked over to his side of the desk and sat down on the only open space, to Snape's mild surprise. He set the paper on the desk and watched her curiously as she reached inside her robes and pulled out a heavy, solid reddish rock. Displaying it in her hand, Snape could see that it was a piece of beautiful red marble, streaked with lighter and darker shades, carved lovingly into a smooth, 3-dimenional heart. A distinct, though thin, crack was visible near the bottom, trailing up the side a little and then carrying over to the front, but it didn't detract from it's quality.

"Well, this is a surprise," he said with a smirk. "I thought you detested hearts."

"Not if it's my own."

The smirk dropped from the man's face as Nyx gazed at him with the tiniest hint of a smile. He set his black eyes on the stone and it dawned on him.

"…_that's_ your heart?"

Nyx nodded, breaking into a full grin. "He returned it to me with that letter I told you about this morning. I don't know how he got it or why, or what happened to turn it into this, but I _know_ it's my heart."

"How?" Snape was genuinely bewildered. It was nothing more than an attractive rock, as far as he could see.

Without a word, Nyx set the stone on the desk and grabbed his hand. She held his fingers against her wrist, and his eyes widened in shock. "I have a pulse!" She whispered excitedly.

"…I don't believe it…" Snape muttered. "How is that possible, though? Your heart's not _in_ you, so –"

"I don't know, but I know it's doing _something_," she interrupted. "Here…" She placed the small red stone in the palm of his hand and placed hers over it. Snape almost started when he distinctly felt a rhythmic beating emanating from the heart under Nyx's cool hand.

"…that's unbelievable," he breathed as Nyx lifted her hand off of his and took her heart with it. "I'm extremely happy for you, though, Nyx."

"Thank you, Severus," she said, smiling kindly. She didn't trill the 'r.'

He leaned back in his chair and turned his head a bit to the side, folding his hands in his lap as he gazed at her intently. "You look…different. And you're acting funny today."

"I _feel_ different," Nyx said pleasantly. "I haven't felt like this in a while, so I almost forgot what it was like…I guess I just feel…_happy_."

"That explains why you're smiling so much more than usual."

"I feel like making everyone around me happy, too."

"That explains why you tried to 'help' me this morning."

"I also feel…I hate putting it like this, but I feel like I want to give the world a hug because it's being nice to me for a change."

"…well, that doesn't explain anything, but nevertheless, I can see it."

Nyx sighed peacefully. "This is the best I've felt in _so_ long…you really have no idea how much this all means to me…"

Snape smiled knowingly and asked, "Is this one of those days where if it gets any better you've died and gone to heaven?"

"Oh, that would just make my millennium." She laughed. "But since I saw you this morning, it actually has gotten better. Remember that one dragon I told you about, Schlange? The poor devil that got his wings ripped off?"

"What about him?"

"I got a letter form my people back home and they said he's officially healed. Running around, hunting, arguing with people…he's completely back to normal, and I'm eternally grateful for it. I felt so bad for him when he was attacked, and he went damn near crazy right after it, I was so afraid that he'd be destroyed by it all…But he's perfectly alright."

"You're very close with him," Snape observed.

"Yeah. Hatched him myself," she added proudly. "I found his egg, abandoned, just after we parted ways. He's been with me ever since." She chuckled. "He's actually like an overgrown, fire-breathing puppy. Slobbers all over me when I come home…disgusting thing, dragon spit…"

Snape laughed, prompting a curious loom from Nyx. She asked what was so funny, and he responded, "I just haven't heard you talk like this in years. That's another thing that's changed, by the way…Did you feel like this often before your heart was taken out?"

"Well," Nyx answered slowly. "I depended on the situation, just like with normal people. But since I had my little 'surgery' I haven't felt certain emotions either when I should have or at the level I should have. I could be happy, but not happy like I am now, or about the things that are making me so happy." She paused to brush that one annoying strand of hair out of her face. "I don't know if that makes sense, but that's how it is."

"No, it makes perfect sense," Snape assured her. A glittering light caught his eyes, and he found himself peering at the black diamond snake ring Nyx got just a month ago. "Still wearing that?"

"Yes, why shouldn't I?" she asked in genuine confusion.

"It's worth more than I make in a month," he muttered a bit grudgingly. "I'd hate to see it get damaged or lost…very nice, really…Who gave it to you, again?"

"Jack," Nyx said simply.

"Hmm, I smell an ulterior motive." Snape added with a grin.

"He's not like that and you know it," she shot back sternly, though smiling as well. "He knew I would like it, and I did. Just because he wanted to get me a nice birthday present doesn't mean he wants anything beyond my happiness…which reminds me…" She ended that topic as she reached into her robes again and pulled out a square-shaped silver box with a large gold bow on top. Presenting it to Snape, he noticed a gift tag: "To: Severus, From: the Freak Show." He smiled to himself and took it carefully. Upon opening it, he found that it was a box of gourmet chocolate.

After he thanked her, she said, "Actually that one's just an apology for this morning. _This_ is the one I was originally going to give you…" She snapped her fingers and another silver box with a big golden bow appeared on the desk, easily three times the size of the first. This one was also filled to the brim with chocolates.

"Thank god," he sighed. "I just ran out on that boatload you gave me before."

"Really? I would've thought you'd finished it by that week." Nyx chuckled. "But, um…I really am sorry for this morning."

"Don't worry about it," the professor replied, inspecting the chocolates. "If you had known they were there, you wouldn't have done half of it…anyway, I have something for you, too, believe it or not…" He popped a piece into his mouth and reached into a drawer to pull out a long, skinny rectangular box. It was black with a thin green ribbon tied around it, and had no gift tag. Snape handed it to the girl, who was eyeing him and the box suspiciously, but with a small grin.

"…what could you _possibly_ have gotten me?" she asked as she undid the ribbon. "It's not like I _need_ anything, but I'm usually not that easy to buy for, so I can't imagine what –"

Nyx froze with her light eyes locked onto what was sitting in the box. All emotion was wiped from her face in an instant, and Snape just sat there grinning from ear to ear. She looked up at him quickly and asked in an urgent whisper, "Is this what I think…?"

"It should be," he replied, very pleased with himself.

Nyx let out a little cheer and, with watering eyes, picked up the wand in the box. It was 12-and-a-half inches long and made of ebony wood, with a very small carving around the base of the handle: 'OVALS,' and the S looked rather like a snake. "I can't believe it…I can't believe you found it…"

"I only came across your wand by luck," Snape said. "It's a very long story, so I'll recount it to you some other time, when you're not overcome with emotion."

She laughed as she wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "I'm sorry but I haven't seen this since I was 18, so I'm bound to get a little moved…I was certain it had been destroyed…"

"It's fortunate that it survived for so long. Didn't you say the core was extremely rare, and not even used nowadays?"

"Yeah. It's a basilisk fang. Not a fully-grown one, mind you, but a juvenile. Fully-grown would never fit in a wand…" she said, laughing a little. "Louis' age, probably. His fangs are tiny enough…"

"So…what kind of advantage is this going to give you over everyone else?" Snape asked slyly.

"Well, it'll probably multiply my power by at least double, and it'll allow me to do things I could never do with my hands or just any old wand," Nyx replied with a definite hint of excitement in her voice. "I know there are a few things I want to try that have never worked before, but I get the feeling that I'd be able to do them if I have _this_."

"Good. I'm glad you like it," her friend said simply.

Nyx hopped off the desk with her wand still in hand and stood before him. "Get up for a second."

"Why?"

"Just do it, please."

With a dramatically annoyed sigh he rose to his feet, and soon found himself being hugged very tightly by Nyx. "Thank you," she said quietly.

Snape patted her on the back with no reluctance and replied, "You're welcome." When she didn't let go of him, he added, "All right, all right, that's enough. If someone walks in, the next time I'll see you is in court."

Nyx laughed and stepped back. "Well, I should be getting back to the common room. I still have some homework to do…for my _other_ classes," she added when he looked confused.

"Have a nice evening," he said with a smirk.

"Same to you."

And with that, Nyx trotted out of the room and down the hall, testing her wand on anything she came across, and being particularly pleased with the results. She was sure that today had been one of the best days of her life, and was confident that there would never be one quite like it again. She couldn't imagine what it would've been like if she had taken any Felix Felicis at the same time.

_I probably would've been cured. _She mused. _But that's alright…I can survive for a while longer…there are still a few things I haven't done yet…people I need to see…things I need to admit…_

By now, she had arrived at the Slytherin common room. Upon seeing the veritable mob occupying it, she decided to go do her homework on her bed rather than deal with the noise. Upon reaching her bed, she decided to put her pajamas on even though it was much too early to go to sleep. She was going to be lying around anyway, so why not be comfortable? With a wave of her long-lost wand, her clothes changed themselves without her having to lift another finger. Nyx smiled to herself and grabbed her bag from the floor, glancing at Louis and Jack. Both seemed sound asleep, just as she left them that morning. Throwing back the hangings around the bed, she was about to drop her bag when she froze again.

Two roses, one black and one white, made an X on her pillow. A black ribbon was tied around the stem of the white and vise versa, and the tips of each made a circle around a lone, heart-shaped Oreo set just above where the stems crossed. She stood there staring at them for a long while. The roses looked startlingly familiar, as if she'd seen them before…and she suddenly remembered. Kalixius had given her two roses like that when he asked her to marry him.

Nyx slowly turned her head to the gray metal birdcage an arm's length from her bed. She stared at the black raven perched on the bar inside, pretending to be asleep, for a very long time. Jack knew she was watching him, but he did nothing, almost hoping that she would give up on him and continue doing whatever she was before she saw the roses. And soon, he heard the crunching of an Oreo and a vase full of water being conjured up. He cracked an eye open and saw his master sitting on the bed with an open book on her lap, a black diamond snake on her finger, a heart-shaped Oreo in her mouth, and a black rose tucked behind her ear.

--- to be continued in Chapter 17 : Black Monday ---

* * *

**Disclaimer: **Own not, profit not, sue not. (Except for Nyx, Louis, Jack, and SMS.)

**A/N: **Damn you, writer's block! -shakes fist- As you can see, it doesn't matter if you have time off to write all you want if you have writer's block. I would apologize but it's not my fault. That's all I have to say. MOVING ON...

**General Notes:** That snake ring is just about the sexiest thing that ever existed. Seriously. I would sell my soul for one of those. The price in USD is somewhere around $2000 or more. (There are a LOT of high-quality diamonds on that sucker, kay?) Also, Jack would have paid _at least_ half with his own cash. ...yeah. No wonder Snape was suspicious.

That letter was a right pain in the ass to write. I had to make it eloquent and not sound like anyone else was writing it, and I had to make sure I didn't give much away either. But, now you know that Nyx DOES have a boyfriend, though you don't know who it is. (His real name is NOT the Frighteningly Friendly Dementor. I hope no one really needed me to tell them that.) OVALS is an anagram, but you'll never guess it. -gigglesnort- The three ways he says "I love you" are (in order) French, Italian, and German, in case anyone was wondering.

The Snape-Nyx fight was lots of fun to write, though. Snape totally needs a hug by the end, though. ...-sigh- _Fine_, I suppose _I'll _do it... -hugs him- (Snape: Begone! -hits her with hisshoe-) ...jerk. Anyway, the "mah name is Earl" thing is NOT from the TV show, as I have never seen it (thought I wanted to...-sad-). It's from a thing my friends and I made up about a cowboy named Earl who lives in a crazy retirement home, The John Wayne Home For Older Folks (Established 10 Minutes Ago). It's a live-action thing, with video cameras and TONS of improv. Lots of fun, in other words. I was a crotchety old lady named Granny Stout, who talked ghetto despite her whitenessand flipped everyone off day and night. I put a pillow under my shirt to make me look like I had a potbelly, and when Granny had a heart attack, 'Earl' yelled, "I think she's havin' a babay!"

...gooooood tiiimes.

The "why didn't anyone tell me my ass was so big?" line is direct from Spaceballs. There's nothing more I can say about that.

I had to throw "shenanigans" in here somewhere because of this icon I saw. It's Star Wars, so if you really hate Star Wars skip this part. (Features Anakin, Obi-Wan, Mace Windu, Yoda and Ki-Adi from Episode 3. All belong to Mr. Lucas.)

**Anakin:** What's the big difference between the Jedi and the Sith anyways?

**Mace:** Well, our shenanigans are cheeky and fun.

**Obi:** Yeah, thiers are cruel and tragic.

**Mace:** Not really shenanigans at all.

**Obi:** Evil shenanigans.

**Yoda:** The next person to say shenanigans...saber-whipped they will be.

**Ki-Adi:** Hey, guys, sorry I'm late.

**Mace:** Yo, Ki-Adi, what's the name of that restaurant you like with all the goofy shit on the walls and the mozzarella sticks?

**Ki-Adi:** You mean Shenanigans?

...-dies laughing-

The "Severus with a trilled R" has two sources. One is from my own experience: my first name has an R in it, and this one girl I knew always used to trill the R whenever she said my name, and I hated her for it. Two is from The Nightmare Before Christmas Soundtrack: In "Making Christmas," when the vampires (lol coincidence lol) say "snakes and mice get wrapped up so nice" they trill the R in "wrapped." I was listening to this song while I was typing "Severus" and the idea hit me like Snape's shoe hit Nyx.

Also, I know I said there would be a flashback in this chapter, but I just couldn't work it in. It'll show up later on, though. I promise. (It's a funny one, so I _can't _get rid of it.)

**Preview:** _(To the tune of the Badger song)_ Panic panic panic panic, panic, panic, panic, panic, panic, panic, panic, panic, Azkaban, Azkaban! …and stuff!

**Preview of the chapter after that because I'm stupid and write too much:** Battle, battle, battle, battle, battle, battle, battle, battle, battle, battle, battle, battle, Voldy/Lord Psycho! ...and Voldy finally gets lines! (Voldy: Yay me!) )

**Final Words:** It's a bit late, I know, but I got the cross symbol drawn (from chapter 14). The link is on my profile. So go look. -shoos you over there-

As always I'll do my best to get the next chapter up in a timely fashion. It should go better than this one did. -kicks the writer's block and breaks her toes- ...awesome. -hobbles off muttering curses and such-

* * *

**Hiya:** OMFG. Witchy Woman -equals- Nyx! That's freakin' creepy! I swear to god, though, that's almost exactly like her! Dear god...you have no idea how perfect that song is for her...pity I've never heard the actual song, only read the lyrics...

**Anyone who hasn't heard it, go look up the lyrics for "Witchy Woman" by the Eagles NOW. -waits-**

**Lyn:** Good point about Louis having to be put away or something, but for reasons I shouldn't give right now it won't become a problem. (That is, _if_ he lives to be 8...-whistles innocently-) And yes, he is a major part of the plot. Started off as a cute joke, but not anymore. (Not in the actual story thusfar, but in the future he'll be more important.)

I also get your point about simple curses being the best and complicated ones are kind of annoying/unneccesary, BUT...were it not for the complexity of Nyx's life and her curse _I_ would not have a story. In other words, Imade everything complex because it matters, not just because I felt like it._Everything_ has a purpose. Plus SMS is the only reason Nyx has any power at all, and the only reason why she is who she is today. Basically, you cannot have Nyx without SMS, and therefore there's no choice but for it to be complicated. (I didn't think it was THAT complicated, but that's what you think so I can't argue.) Also, whether it's believable or not depends on the reader, I think. : )

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**--- k**avi**-s**ama** ---**


	17. Chapter 17: Black Monday

Chapter 17 – Black Monday

The Magical world was thrown into chaos on February 15th, stated by Rufus Scrimgeour, Minister of Magic, to be the darkest day in history since the Dark Lord first came to power, and dutifully dubbed it Black Monday. An ordinary morning was destroyed by the headlining news all across the globe. The full, Ministry-approved story was being printed in every newspaper in every city in every country all over the world. It was the same story with the same facts everywhere; this news could not afford to be given to the people with missing, incorrect or corrupted information.

At midnight the night before, every last protective spell guarding Azkaban prison had inexplicably lifted. All the charms used to prevent apparating or disapparating, communication, breakouts, and even keeping out the rain, were gone. Only one on-duty guard, Auror Emilio Massimo, saw what happened minutes after the fortress became vulnerable. Translated into over 100 languages, his account read as this:

"It was a full moon that night, and there wasn't one cloud in the sky. I could see every star, and the moon was so bright if I didn't know better it could have been daytime. But from nowhere this thick, black fog rolled in, and it was like putting out a candle – no, I correct myself, it was more like the atmosphere dementors bring with them. The temperature dropped so quickly I couldn't have believed it if I hadn't been there to feel it for myself. It's always cold up there, but this was _too_ cold, even for winter. Anyway, the other guards tried sending out sparks to see if everyone was alright and find out what was going on, and that's when it happened.

"This blinding white bolt of lightening, or whatever it was, came crashing down on the top of the fortress, right in the middle, and I heard this _horrible _noise…It was like a thunderclap and an explosion at the same time, but it was so loud I thought my head would split apart, and this roaring noise – like a really powerful wind – followed it and faded out after a minute. After the light vanished, the whole roof of the place went flying off into the water, blasted to a million pieces. The walls went after that, and probably hundreds of people – guards and prisoners alike – died in the mess. A few floors simply collapsed and so did a few towers, but the rest stayed stable enough. The prisoners seemed to realize that they could leave any time they wanted, but what happened next made them forget about it for a while.

"I will never know if this was a man or a woman, or even a person, because of the voice; it was inhuman, bestial, sort of growling and hissing sometimes…Sends chills down my spine just remembering what it sounded like…I'll refer to it as a man, because it's simpler that way…Anyway, he appeared floating in the sky right in front of me, but probably a hundred feet up. He was all cloaked in long, black robes – or at least I assume they were black – and wearing a plain white mask, nothing on it at all. It might not have even been a mask; for all I know it was a dinner plate. I couldn't see anything else because he was just too far away and it was too dark. I immediately suspected that it was a Death Eater coming to free his buddies like last time, and I'll have to say that I was right.

"Now, Italian is my mother language, but I speak a good bit of some other languages as well. I don't know how he was doing it, but this fellow seemed to be speaking in several languages at once, because I understood every word he said, _perfectly_. Didn't have an accent or anything, so for all I knew he was an Italian native like myself. But another guard with me was from Russia, and he seemed to understand every word as well even though he didn't speak more than two words of Italian. Your guess is as good as mine for how he managed this, and I'm honestly a bit frightened by it, but that was what happened. But how he said it was inconsequential to _what_ he said, because it was _easily_ twenty times scarier than a herd of angry dragons with a vendetta against you personally.

"He said, in this booming voice that easily carried to every part of the place, 'This is an announcement in the name of the Dark Lord Vol-' well, you know who I mean, 'and it is to be taken seriously. You have all been granted your freedom, and may do with it what you will, but only under one condition. Those of you who consent to swear undying loyalty to the Dark Lord shall receive your freedom and the protection of his unfathomable power. Those who reject him will die here and now, very simple. Those who are already in his service may go when they please, unless they have foolishly decided to rebel against the Master, in which case they will die with the others.'

"Well, hearing _that_, us Aurors jumped to our feet and started firing curses at this guy like there was no tomorrow, but not one hit. I don't know how, but he was absolutely untouched. Then he sort of looked down at us and laughed this awful, crazy laugh, and said something like, 'I forgot there were Aurors here, so I guess I have to deal with you first.'

"He waved his hand once, and every one of us dropped dead on the spot, save for me. He said some stupid thing about how easy that was and how pathetically stupid we were to go against the might of his master, and told me _specifically_ that I had been left alive because there needed to be a witness in order for the world to know what happened. He said it was his master's idea, and then he went on talking about how great he was and how anyone not in his service would die with the muggles and everyone else not worth living when he took over again. Crazy bastard…"

Massimo went on to say that a grand total of about fifteen prisoners refused to become Death Eaters and were killed on the spot, leaving a terrifying number to join Voldemort's quest for world domination: _4,903._ His ranks had increased tenfold at minimum, even though more than half were probably only trying to stay alive and really didn't care about his plans, or they were partially insane and didn't know what they were doing. That made no difference to the Ministry and the rest of the world. What made the difference was the sheer number of new Death Eaters, _none_ of which could be identified with proof. Massimo did not know which 15 or so had died, or what other hundreds died in the destruction, or if anyone else died when the mysterious masked person reduced the fortress to a mountain of rubble just before leaving, first making sure Massimo survived the blast.

The man was understandably shaken by the whole event, especially since he had seen a hundred of his co-workers murdered in the blink of an eye. But he was holding up very well, especially to be able to do an interview immediately after it happened, and would receive high honors in the Ministry for his bravery.

Massimo refused them. "Bravery is not watching your friends die like insects, being saved just so you can go tell everyone how they were massacred by a madman. They died defending the world we all want to protect; give the honors to _them_."

Scrimgeour had no choice but to comply with the request and announced that there would be a mass funeral for the dead Aurors, where they would all be given Massimo's rejected awards. As for the survivor, he vowed never to stop fighting You-Know-Who, and would be back on the job in a new area by Wednesday. Many people immediately loved him for being so selfless and brave, despite what he himself said, just because what he had seen didn't discourage or frighten him at all. It worried him, but he would not back down. Many people were greatly inspired by this, but few were heartened enough to be totally unafraid of the future.

With so many unidentified Death Eaters running around now, everyone in their right mind suddenly became paranoid almost to the point of insanity. People wouldn't leave their houses, or let their family do so, and one student had already been pulled from Hogwarts by her parents. They refused to take any chances with their 11-year-old, in case any of them should be killed. This was an understandable concern as nigh 50 people, just in Great Britain, had turned up dead by the morning of the 15th, many of which were targets of revenge for the escaped prisoners. Some were simply stress relief for the high-strung prisoners, or results of the lack of a stable mind due to prolonged dementor exposure.

By all accounts, the world was slowly returning to the way it had been during the first 'Dark Age' when Voldemort was just starting up. But, now, he was more experienced and far more powerful, not to mention his army of 5,000-plus, and that figure not counting the various dark creatures in his service, _or_ his Inferi. Those fighting against him were similarly more knowledgeable, but their strength and numbers were nowhere near as impressive as they once were, and quite frankly incomparable to Voldemort's.

"This bites," Nyx grumbled, stuffing the Daily Prophet back into her bag. "This really. Freaking. _Bites."_

"I know," Ron said sadly. "No more Hogsmeade trips."

Hermione rounded on him furiously. "Quit being such an idiot!" she hissed. "There are _hundreds_ of people dead and _thousands_ of Death Eaters on the loose, and the Ministry can't do a _thing_ about it! That's a _bit_ worse than no more Hogsmeade trips!"

She fell silent as Professor Slughorn passed by their table, peering curiously into their cauldrons of half-mixed Confusion Concoction. He did not jump for joy when he saw that Harry's and Nyx's were perfect so far, but merely gave them a nod and a grin. Everyone had seen him that morning when Dumbledore made his speech about the previous night's events for those who didn't get the Prophet.

The old man looked like he'd been shaken violently; he had paled and was sweating and shivering as if he'd faint dead away any moment. After that he had become very jumpy, terribly startled when someone's utensil hit their plate too loudly, and shaky in his movements. He offered no explanation for the behavior, but Nyx had an idea that she didn't care to share with anyone. She wouldn't talk to him about it, either, in case it shook him up even worse.

She was seated next to Harry and across from Ron because Ernie Macmillan was not. He caught a cold the night before and Madame Pomfrey threatened him with detention if he didn't stay in the hospital wing and get better. So, Nyx decided to join her Gryffindor friends for the double potions class.

"Still, that's really rotten that we can't go to Hogsmeade anymore," Ron shot back quietly after Slughorn was gone.

"It's for our own safety," the bushy-haired girl snapped. "Dumbledore explained all this over breakfast, or weren't you listening?"

"I _was_ listening!" he hissed. "I _know_ that's why there are fifty-some Aurors patrolling the school and the grounds, I _know_ that's why you're not allowed to leave unless you have an Auror or a staff member to escort you, _plus_ special permission from your Head of House, and I _know_ that's why Apparating tests have been suspended until further notice! _But I don't see why we can't go to Hogsmeade!"_

"Ron _has_ got a point, you know," Harry said quietly before Hermione exploded at him again. "They've got all these Aurors hanging around; why can't they escort us to Hogsmeade if they have to take us everywhere else?"

"Because it's for your own good!" the girl growled through gritted teeth. "Dumbledore knows how much higher the risk is outside of the school, and he doesn't want anyone getting _killed! _And besides, there are too many students to keep track of outside of school for 50 or so Aurors."

"Well, he could at least let the 6th and 7th years go," Nyx added, stirring her potion listlessly. "I mean, if we're attacked _we_ know how to defend ourselves better than any of the others. We understand what's going on better than a lot of them anyway, so we're more likely to be extra careful. And none of us would do anything reckless, either, like wander off and see if a Death Eater inexplicably shows up and curses you into the next century…at least, I'd like to _think_ no one's that stupid."

"Good point," Harry said with a grin, nudging her gently. "You should get a petition going. I bet everyone would sign it."

"Don't bother," Hermione interrupted. "Dumbledore won't do it if the whole _school's_ against him, staff and all. He wants to keep us safe and alive. After all the other things that have happened over the years, I don't think he's going to take a single unnecessary risk."

The other three gave her skeptical looks.

"Well, you heard what he said! 'Hogwarts is nearly impenetrable to outside forces!' Siri- er, Snuffles got in that one time, but no Death Eater has ever set foot inside of Hogwarts! Dumbledore knows this is the safest place we can be, so he's going to keep us here as long as he can if there's danger to be had elsewhere!"

Nyx stopped stirring her potion and said quietly, "He also said, 'but I will not be so foolishly arrogant as to say that it is impossible to be breached.' He knows it could happen, now more than ever. If we're going to have to fight Death Eaters, I'd prefer it to be out in the open rather than them sneaking up on us in the middle of the night or something."

"Well said," Ron whispered, clapping silently. Hermione glared daggers at him.

"Fine, fine," she snapped. "Don't listen to me. Go get yourselves cursed for all I care…" With a huff she went back to her potion and started cutting up ingredients violently, imagining they were little Death Eaters.

Nyx smiled to herself and looked back at her potions book. In a moment she glowered at the incorrect directions and glanced at Harry's; Nyx had made the potion before and remembered all the steps up until now when they started getting fuzzy. She didn't feel like giving old Horace sub-par work today, and she had found that Harry's potions were always perfectly correct, though no one else ever made anything right at all. The girl had glanced at the book before and seen that someone had written all over the pages in tiny, cramped handwriting. This fueled her curiosity immensely, but she never asked to see it more closely because she might seem nosy or suspicious.

"Damn book's wrong again," she murmured to Harry. "I've made this potion before, and you sure as hell don't add lacewing flies until the end, _not_ after it turns orange. You stir it clockwise for 30 seconds, if I remember correctly."

"That's what mine says," he replied, amazed. "And then you add the spider legs?"

"Yeah," she said, equally 'amazed.' "How'd you know?"

"Says right here,." Harry displayed the handwritten directions, and was not at all surprised when his friend's expression turned into one of hungry fascination.

"Did you write that?"

"Nope, the last owner did."

"Whoever that is must have been a prodigy or something…"

Placing his finger on the page with the directions, Harry flipped the book open to the back and showed her what was scrawled out across the bottom of the back cover in the same handwriting: "This Book is the Property of the Half-Blood Prince."

"Whoever this Prince was must have been a _genius_ at potions," he whispered, smiling. "Everything he's written in here has been perfectly correct."

"Ohhh, so _that's_ why you're so good at potions," Nyx said with a sly grin.

"Well, yeah, but anyway, that's not the only things he's written in here," Harry added sheepishly. "He made up spells and stuff, too. Shame I don't know who he really is. I'd like to find out more about him if I could…interesting character, this Prince…"

"Interesting indeed," the Slytherin said quietly, suppressing a howl of laughter. _If only Severus could hear him now…He'd die on the spot! But why's he got Sev's old potions book?…oh, wait. I remember. He and Ron had to borrow books at the beginning of the year because they didn't have any. Harry must have gotten it by accident. _

She paused to debate something for a moment, and then asked innocently, "Did you say he wrote on every page?"

"More or less, yeah," the Gryffindor replied.

"Can I see it for a second?"

"Sure, but why?"

"I want to check page 113."

"…why that page?"

"January 13th's my birthday, and 113 is my lucky number. I'm just curious to see if there's anything interesting written on that page."

"Alright, but if Slughorn comes around give it back straight away."

"Right."

Nyx held the spot on page 261 where the instructions for the Confusion Concoction were corrected by the 'Prince,' and flipped it open to page 113. She let her eyes wander for just enough time to seem unsuspecting, pretending to read her friend's annotations, until she saw a different set of handwriting trailing across the bottom of the page. The letters were tall and thin, slanting elegantly. The capitals were larger and more exaggerated, as were the lowercase Js, Gs, Ps and Fs. The letters were closely spaced, but they didn't look cramped like the Prince's did. They had an air of elegance and importance to them, like the one who wrote it was either rich beyond belief, extremely intelligent, or just very influential.

Whatever the case, the Prince had definitely not written this: "_Lija Yaz_ (vbl.) - For people who deserve to die an extremely painful death. Also for soothing savage beasts."

Nyx forced down a broad grin and flipped back to page 261 before returning the book to its new owner. Just as she did so, the dungeon door creaked open and half of the Half-Blood Prince stepped in. Nyx almost laughed audibly at the irony of the situation. Snape cleared his throat to get Slughorn's attention, which he succeeded at by making the poor old man jump a foot into the air.

"O-oh! Severus!" he spluttered, laughing weakly. "You startled me. Do, uh…do you need something?"

"I need to speak to you for a moment," Snape replied. He sounded sad and tired, and didn't look like he was in the mood to strip Gryffindor of any points, even if Harry ran up and spat in his face.

Slughorn raised an eyebrow and waddled over to the door, wearing an expression of deep concern. The DADA professor backed into the hall, and the Potions master followed, pulling the door almost shut behind him so that there was only a crack to let their voices back in the room. Snape's voice was a low murmur and unless someone dared to get up and eavesdrop at the door they wouldn't know what he said.

Suddenly, a sharp gasp escaped Slughorn, and he said in a quiet, weak voice, "No! You're not…"

Snape apparently corrected him with a faint "It's true." He went on for a short while more, still speaking in a hushed voice. The portly old man was becoming more troubled by the second, mumbling a gruff response now and then or whimpering a little. Soon, he let out a defeated sigh and stepped back into the room, wringing his pudgy little hands. Nyx pretended she didn't notice him walking up beside her.

"Er, A-Ariana?" he said in a falsely hopeful voice. She turned to look at him. "Professor Snape needs to, uh, take care of something with you. C-could you, ah…?" He gestured pathetically to the door where Snape stood patiently.

"Is something wrong?" she asked in genuine confusion.

"Er…ah, well…" he stammered, glancing from the girl to the professor quickly. "…w-well, Professor Snape will explain everything to you, I'm sure…r-right?"

The man standing in the shadow of the door nodded grimly. "Please get your things. And don't worry about the class grade. It won't be counted." He threw his coworker a pointed look.

"Are you sure?" Nyx asked, looking at Slughorn.

He nodded, and as she made to clean up, he suddenly said, "Oh, no, don't worry about it! I'll get this for you, you just go on with Severus – I-I mean, Professor Snape, and …and I'll…" He waved his wand distractedly and the potion vanished from the cauldron and the unused supplies floated back to their cupboard obediently. He faltered and looked like he might cry any second as he sent the cauldron to a shelf and Nyx stuffed her copy of Advanced Potion-Making into her bag, wearing a look of absolute bewilderment. _What in Slytherin's name are they up to?_

As she tossed her bag over her shoulder and walked to the door slowly, she glanced back at her three friends and shrugged. They waved her out half-heartedly, wondering what was going on. Whatever it was, they were sure that it wasn't anything pleasant.

Once Snape shut the door, Nyx couldn't keep her mouth shut. "What's all _this_ about? You acting all shifty and Horace about to spring a bloody leak?"

The man sighed and said, "You'll find out soon enough, Nyx."

"I had better," she snapped. "And it better be a damn good reason for pulling me out of there and making me look suspicious. What were you telling him anyway?"

Snape gestured to the door and said quite simply, "Listen for yourself."

Nyx glared at him and pressed her ear to the crack just in time to hear Harry ask the question on everyone's mind.

"Er, Professor?"

"Yes, Harry?" Slughorn responded, mopping his face with a silk handkerchief.

"What was _that_ all about?"

The rest of the room joined in with a chorus of "yeah"s, "what happened?"s and one indignant "why does _she_ get to skip class?" Slughorn heaved a huge, exhausted sigh and seated himself at his desk.

"Ariana won't be very happy with me for telling you this, but her father is sort of on the run from the Ministry," he said carefully. "She would be _very_ cross if I discussed the reason why, so I won't, and I strongly recommend _not_ asking her either. Her father's been in hiding since last summer, and…he…he was found this morning."

"They didn't arrest him, did they?" Hermione blurted in alarm. She remembered that her friend and her father were fleeing the Ministry because of her 'condition' and he wouldn't allow his daughter to be taken for testing or whatever else they did to the past SMs.

"No," Slughorn sighed. "They _couldn't_." He paused to regain his composure, closed his eyes, and said, "He's dead."

Hermione let out a little cry and clapped her hands to her mouth as her eyes filled with tears. Her response rippled through the room; people's mouths dropped open and sharp gasps could be heard. They certainly felt bad for her, though she wasn't terribly close with most of them. She was still well liked on average, and none of the houses had anything against her. The Hufflepuffs admired her because she willingly mixed with the other houses, especially Gryffindor, and especially since her housemates usually gave her such a hard time for it. The Slytherins were unopposed to her as long as she wasn't around anything but other Slytherins, and the Ravenclaws liked her for her obvious intelligence. But no one was quite as upset as the three Gryffindors sitting at the table with the empty chair.

Just the day before, she had been telling them all about her (made-up) father (who was the polar opposite of her _real_ father, who had been dead for a very long time already); he was kind and warm – perfect for comforting his daughter when she was attacked – as well as fiercely protective, easily seen by the measures he took to hide Ariana from the Ministry. He was the most caring person she had ever met because of all that he did for her to try to help after she contracted SMS, from trying to cure her in any way possible to buying her all the Oreos she wanted. He was an absolute riot to be around, which explained where Ariana got her sense of humor from, and allowed for a special bond between the parent and child. They were really more like best friends than relatives, playing pranks on each other and fighting over the best chairs in the house.

But at the same time he possessed a fatherly concern for her. He wasn't overbearing about grades because he knew his daughter was a genius, to be frank, but he was exceedingly proud of her and could often be found showing off pictures of her to friends and colleagues. Not only was she smart but she was also quite beautiful, as the man made a point of to anyone with a son he deemed worthy to become his son-in-law. But, if Ariana was with him and she felt too embarrassed, he would always stop. Any time either of them did something to make the other uncomfortable, they would speak up, and the other would do their best to stop. It was an uncommon bond they shared, and made her friends rather jealous.

Part of the reason Ariana and her father were so close was her mother. When Ariana was 4, she left her husband for another man, who turned out to be a Death Eater and was killed by an Auror just after they paired up. In leaving her husband and daughter, she had alienated herself form her friends, and her pride would not allow her to go crawling back to any of them, begging for forgiveness. So, she killed herself.

Ariana always hated her mother for that, even though she didn't really know her and had always been closer to her dad anyway. Her mother was not the fittest woman to be a mother, but her father more than made up for it, especially after she left. He would have given his soul for Ariana to have a good, healthy life and for her to achieve her dreams. He wanted her to have the best existence she could, and he would not let anything stop her from doing just that. Even when his mother started getting weak and he moved the family of two down to Romania so he could care for her, and Ariana started attending school, little changed between the father and daughter to distance them. In fact, they actually became closer over homework help and taking care of Grandma.

Ariana and her father were inseparable. They were a "match made in heaven," as they often joked, and neither could stand to see the other be anything but happy and successful. Ariana was excited about introducing him and her new friends as soon as possible because she was sure that all would get along splendidly.

But now…

Hermione was about to burst. Her friend had no one left. She said that she hadn't any aunts or uncles on her father's side, and the family cut ties with her mother's relatives. Her grandmother was dead and she never had any siblings. Now, with her father gone, too, who could she turn to?

The girl steeled herself with a fiercely determined thought. _If she has no one to turn to and nowhere to go, she's welcome in my home any day. I'll give her **my **room if I have to. My parents would **adore** her, and they'd never turn a friend of mine away, especially under the circumstances… _She could not imagine Ariana being forced to live by herself, or in an orphanage or a dreadful home like the Dursley's, with relatives she never met and didn't know existed – from her mother's side of the family.

Glancing at Ron through leaking eyes, Hermione saw that he was thinking the same thing through his hard expression of determination. He and Harry had automatically thought that Mrs. Weasley would just burst with joy if she ever met Ariana, and would _force_ her to stay at the Burrow whether she liked it or not, if she had nowhere else to go. The Dursley's were right out; knowing Ariana's and Harry's relative's attitudes, she would be booted out within a week. Or she would curse them and leave of her own volition, and not be a bit sorry for it, even when the Aurors came to take her away and lock her up for underage magic used on and in front of Muggles.

"But…" Harry continued in confusion. "Where's Sn- er, _Professor_ Snape taking her? …and why's _he_ taking her in the first place?"

"And where's she going to go after term's over?" Hermione added half-frantically. "She doesn't have any family left to go live with!"

"I can answer all three at once," Slughorn said dully. "Professor Snape is taking Ariana to the Ministry of Magic headquarters in London to i…" his voice cracked a little, "…to identify her father's body. _He_ is taking her because, one, he is her Head of House and, two, according to her father's will, he is now Ariana's legal guardian."

"_What?"_ half the class blurted. The rest simply gaped at the potions professor and thought it. Not one of them could see Snape as being a successful father figure, and most felt even _more_ pity towards the girl because of this revelation.

Nyx snickered on the other side of the door.

Slughorn seemed to ignore the sudden outburst and continued quietly, "The two of them have to work some things out. One of which is where she is gong to be living from now on, and another is the rest of the will. From the little that Sev- Professor Snape told me, it seems everything was left to Ariana."

"Then…" Hermione started again. "Does that include somewhere to live outside of school?"

The professor chuckled softly. "I admire your concern for her, Miss Granger. But, no, it does not. Mr. Harthcrow sold their last home and was living in an abandoned building up until this morning. But, she has enough money to rent a room at an inn, or she may decide to stay with Professor Snape –"

"An inn? _Snape's house?"_ Ron said suddenly, looking horrified. "That's completely _stupid_."

"May I ask why, Mr. Weasley?" Slughorn asked with the tiniest hint of a grin.

"Well…uh…" He was beginning to wish he had more control over his mouth. "I was just thinking…we have enough room for her at my house…and my mum would absolutely love her …and…um…" Ron's ears were a brighter red than a stop sign.

"Oh, I'm sure she'd be just _delighted_ to come stay in _your_ hovel, Weasley," Draco sneered, provoking quiet laughter from the other Slytherins.

"Five points from Slytherin, Mr. Malfoy," Slughorn said sharply, quelling the laughter immediately and earning him a foul look from Draco. He turned to Ron and said in a much kinder voice, "I am sure Ariana would appreciate your kindness, but unfortunately I'm not the one you should be saying this to. You and your parents would have to discuss it with Professor Snape, and Ariana of course." When he caught the look that passed over the redheads face he added, "Or perhaps I could pass the word on for you."

"Thanks professor." Ron said, smiling a bit sadly at his two friends.

They all knew that Ariana was going to need support after this, and they would like nothing better than to administer it themselves. She had helped them enough that year, from studying with them to just making their day a little better, and it was high time they repaid her.

Nyx could not have agreed more.

"This is _perfect,"_ she whispered with a fevered excitement creeping into her voice. "The Weasley's home is the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix now, right?" She glanced over at Snape as she backed up from the door.

"Yes," he said, a calm smile spreading across his face. "And all we need to do is convince everyone that it was the Death Eaters that killed your 'father' and you have a perfect excuse for trying to join up with them – revenge."

"And then I can spy on them first-hand!" she nearly squealed with delight before turning to face Snape. "Oh, you _brilliant_ man! I could kiss you!"

"So what's stopping you?" he asked with a coy smirk.

Nyx stuck her tongue out at him and held in a laugh that surely wouldn't have sounded grief-stricken to her classmates behind the door. "Don't play dumb with me."

"You cut me to the core," Snape said in affronted tones. "I was being perfectly serious."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," she said, waving him off like a bothersome first-year. "So, you wanna go get some ice cream? I obviously have quite a bit of time off now…You know, for grieving. And I have this sudden craving for Neapolitan…with sprinkles…and whipped cream…"

"And a cherry on top, of course," he said as the girl began salivating. "Unfortunately, I'll have to give you a rain check on that. You have some other business to attend to first."

"Really?" Nyx asked curiously, following her friend as he began walking towards his office just down the hall. "Like what?"

"Let me just say this," Snape said, a bemused grin curving his lips. "Your little black parrot of doom and Junior burst into my office just as the first period began, yelling about being under attack."

"Jack and Louis?"

"The same."

"But who's under attack?"

"The human one will tell you himself, I'm sure."

Nyx would have pressed him for more information but they had arrived at the ex-Potions master's office. As the door swung open, she saw her extremely flustered underling pacing back and forth in front of the desk, where the basilisk was curled up.

Jack rounded on Snape and spat, his voice dripping with biting sarcasm, "Thanks for hurrying like I asked. You know, this is so important I _really_ can't waste any time. I mean, who knows what could happen in 5 minutes."

"Tell that to _her_," he replied, nodding to Nyx.

She turned to Jack, who was ignoring his headwrap, and said in as commanding a voice as she could, "Just tell me what's going on."

"I got a letter from home," he said sharply, holding the tiny scrap of parchment up as proof. "It seems _someone_ has half a mind to march right up to your front door and begin a siege."

Who he was talking about dawned on her instantly.

"_What?"_ his master blurted. "You don't mean to tell me that –"

"Yep. Our good buddy Voldemort's paying us a little visit, and he's brought 5,000 friends with him."

Nyx's eyes became very wide, and her skin became even paler. She stood there for several long moments trying to comprehend what was happening, looking positively dumbstruck.

"Oh dear," Snape said quietly, not sounding concerned at all.

Nyx turned to glare at him and roared, _"'Oh dear?' It's a little bit beyond **that**, I think! The **nerve **of that bastard! I'll rip him to bloody pieces! **Nobody walks across my lawn and lives to tell about it!" **_She made to stomp out the door and snapped at her older friend, "Outta my way, Princey! _I got an ass to kick!"_

The two men watched her slam the door behind her, only to reappear a second later 4 inches taller, with longer and straighter black hair, fiery red-and-gold eyes, and sporting her favorite suit of armor. "…mess him up so bad his own _mother_ won't recognize him…bloody idiot, who does he think he's picking a fight with?…"

The woman stalked over to the fireplace, grabbing Louis off the desk as she went and dragging Jack along with her. She announced over her shoulder, "We're using your fireplace."

"Right," Snape said, gaping at her new appearance but not doubting in the least that it was still Nyx under there.

The woman grabbed a handful of Floo powder from a small pot on the mantle, stepped in with her second-in-command and snake in tow, and snarled, "Citadel, fireplace number four!" She threw the powder down furiously, and the pair disappeared in a burst of green flames.

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Nyx was still muttering to herself as she and her two minions exited fireplace number four, located in the entrance hall. "…stupid git, waltzing around on _my_ property uninvited…oughta get my shotgun…"

Jack and Louis followed after her down the hall, the basilisk slithering at her heels and the human a pace or two behind. He was wearing a rather inappropriate expression for the situation; he looked angry and embarrassed, and at no one but himself. As soon as she saw him that morning – he had been out getting a bite to eat when she woke upand didn't see her until they were in Snape's office – he had been expecting her to all but jump on him. After all, the Oreo he put on her pillow yesterday was heart shaped for a reason.

However…it seemed to have had no effect on her.

…_bloody fucking defective love potion…_

But, ignorance in this case being misery instead of bliss, Jack did not know that love potions never worked on SMs. He wasn't depending on it for any particular reason; he just wanted to have a little fun with her, see her not in control for once. Just for kicks.

…_it still would've been nice to see what it'd be like for her to love me, though…_

Nyx heard someone laughing darkly at the back of her mind.

**You should hear what he's thinking about you…**

It took all of her willpower not to smash her head against a wall to make that voice shut up. She tuned it out as best she could before a searing pain erupted behind her ears. Nyx cleared her mind of every thought, every emotion, and the feeling of that pain…and it vanished along with the voice.

_I'm in deep shit if he thinks now's a good time to be bothering me…fighting **him** will take enough out of me, especially if I slip up…last thing I need is for that noisy git to make it any worse…_

Nyx shook it off and threw open two huge, black metal doors and stepped into the control room to be met by twenty terrified, determined, worried, and fearless eyes.

_It's going to be an interesting day._

--- to be continued in Chapter 18 : Duel of the Fates ---

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**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (Except for Mysterious Masked Person, Nyx, Jack, Louis, Nyx's made-up daddy and mommy (because they're such important characters -rolls eyes-), SMS, the Voice In Nyx's Head and Emilio Massimo. Because he'll be back. -Terminator lol-) 

**A/N:** -ahem- So, I lied. Not really, actually,but I'll explain. This chapter became Black Monday instead of Duel of the Fates when I realized that I already had 6,500 words and didn't even introduce Voldy yet. (Voldy: Boo! -pouts-) So next chapter is Duel of the Fates, and Voldy will be in it. A lot. (Voldy: Yay! -beams-) ...and, yes, Duel of the Fates as in Star Wars Episode I Soundtrack, track number 2 title. Because it rocks. And it fots nicely. Fots? Try FITS. (-needs to learn how the hell to type-)(-lol-)

**General Notes: **I looked up what I could about Azkaban and went with the first part as best I could. Nobody really says how many prisoners it holds or how big the place really is, but I imagine a lot of naughty people and it's freakin' huge. And since the dementors already left, I put a crapload of Aurors there to guard it, plus like a bazillion spells. Which Mysterious Masked Person wrecked in like 2 seconds. Yeeeeeup.

Emilio Massimo will be returning in the future, and for a veeerry good reason. (Hint: PLOT TWIST OMG) And I got Massimo from the book The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke.(Good book. Go read it.) (And Scipio is just about the coolest name ever. Really.)

_Lija Yaz_ (LEE-jah) (YAAHS) means, quite literally, "go to hell." This will also make a reappearance. (But no hint because it would be really misleading. And then I would feel bad.)

The Voice In Nyx's Head will also return in the next chapter, as well as probably almost every chapter after that until the end. Note: That means it is easily the second most important character in the story. And, yes, I consider it separate from Nyx. Thou shalt find out why in the next installment of This Story.

**Preview:** Lord Psycho VS. Lord Face-Only-A-Mother-Could-Love. W00T! Prepare for childish insults, sexy uniforms, and chickens. Lots and lots of chickens.

...confused? Good.

**Final Words:** There may be a slight delay with the next chapter, although right now I don't know. It'll depend on how much work I have to do next week as I'm just getting off Easter Break. -weeps because she wishes summer was here already because she just loves having all this time off to do whatever-

And **OMFG GO TO MY PROFILE AND GO SEE THE PIC OF NYX IN HER KICKASS ARMOR _RIGHT FREAKING NOW!_ IT TOOK ME _DAYS!_ AND I AM FUCKING IN _LOVE_ WITH IT! _AAAAAAHHHHH!_ IF YOU DON'T I'LL FREAKING HUNT YOU DOWN AND SHOOT YOU LIKE A _DUCK!_ ...I MEAN DOG!** (Back to the Future reference)

...actually I won't but I can pretend I will. Just go look at it. I'm proud beyond belief. -hugs it- (Nyx: Get the fuck off me, lesbo.) -backs away slowly- (Nyx: I love being me.)

* * *

**Hiya:** Go back to chapter 13 (Hermy breaks a rule) and reread Nyx's final thoughts. -grin- I shall say no more for now. -hobbles off, cackling- 

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**--- k**avi**-s**ama** ---**


	18. Chapter 18: Duel of the Fates

Chapter 18 – Duel of the Fates

Maxu was annoyed.

_Very_ annoyed.

_That dumbass,_ he thought furiously as he stomped down the hall. _I cannot freaking believe that he's stupid enough to come here. I don't care if he's got **10**,000 Death Eaters, he must know Lord Psycho's got almost a hundred dragons. You have got to be dumber than a bag of dead cats to think that you can beat her dragons under **any** circumstances. They take orders from her and only her, which is a feat unto itself, and she didn't train them in combat for nothing…_

The American's tall, shiny black boots clicked on the stones as he tromped down a flight of stairs. The boots matched his smooth black leather gloves, which matched the black uniform he had just put on. A brilliant crimson stripe ran up the sides of the dark pants and complimented the red edges of the high-necked jacket, which closed along his right side beneath his arm in a series of small silver, interlocking D-rings. A shiny black belt crossed his waist, and from it hung an elaborately decorated rapier in a black sheath. The handle was silver with red accents, and only for decoration; Maxu could not use a sword to save his life. Nevertheless, it made him look rather impressive, as did the velvety cape hanging off of his left shoulder down to his knees. It was tied under his right arm by a silver chain, and was much like the cape his master wore with her favorite armor; black outside, crimson inside.

And over his heart on the black fabric was his Grand General's mark: a silver roaring lion's head with sinister ruby eyes, all inside three white rings. A similar symbol was located in more or less the same place on all the men and women below him, signifying that they were part of the army. The higher-ups had a silver lion head with a closed mouth and no rubies for eyes, surrounded by three silver rings. As the rankings fell, the rings became red and then black as well as decreasing in number, and the lion's mane got shorter. The very lowest-ranking soldiers had a lion cub inside one black ring. The rest of their uniforms were not that different from Maxu's; the lowest-ranking soldiers wore fingerless black gloves, sturdy (and non-shiny) black boots, and a plain dark gray uniform in the same style as their General's. Middle-rankers got full gloves, shinier boots and black uniforms. Those just below Maxu got the red accents on the black uniforms and boots and gloves just a bit less shiny than his.

The 71 men and women stationed at the citadel were typically enough for Maxu to handle by himself, but there were still five captains (plus Maxu to make 6) in charge of groups of eleven in the case that a battle would break out on their territory just because it made the General's life easier. And now, it finally had. But Maxu wasn't sure whether to be excited or even more irritated.

He had been looking forward to the day when his master and Voldemort faced off ever since he signed up under her three years before. He was especially glad when he was made Grand General within 6 months after the first one died at the hands of a particularly bad-tempered yeti, particularly because he was just under 17 at the time and also because it meant that it was finally possible to truly gain his revenge.

Nothing on, below or above the earth could make Maxu happier than giving the command to kill Voldemort and every last one of his damnable Death Eaters with three simple words: Fire at will. And as the Grand General, he was the only one besides Lord Psycho permitted to give that order with absolute authority. But, unless she OK-ed it, he would be in it deep if he told them to start cursing the bejeezus out of the enemy before she was ready for them to. Why this was so, Maxu wasn't sure. He had a feeling that she wanted to save the privilege of killing Voldemort all to herself, and only when she was ready to have him dead, so if he interfered with that she would not be pleased.

_Typical Lord Psycho_, he thought. _I hope she's going to at least **consider** letting me give that order today…Something tells me this whole thing is going to end **very **badly for someone, and I don't think it's going to be her. If what she's said is true then she won't need her army to do the job for her._

And this was a perfectly understandable thing to think for someone so fiercely loyal to his master. Were it not for her persuasion skills and indisputable argument, Maxu would be an Auror by this time. Lord Psycho had convinced him that the Ministry was not the way to go if you wanted revenge against Voldemort just before hiring him three years ago. Her words echoed in his mind:

"Aurors and Death Eaters are typically around equal power and skill, right? That's why they keep killing each other off. Nobody gets ahead, they just all fall even further behind. So in order to beat Voldemort and his Death Eaters, you have to surpass them in skill and power. New Aurors these days don't remember or know what it was like back when he was first in power, so they're naïve and weak. I remember _everything_. I know what needs to be done in order to beat him and his followers. You have skills already, I can see that. But without honing them and without enough power to utilize them, you're bloody useless. I can teach you, train you, make you more powerful than the Ministry would ever allow.

"Join me, and you can avenge your family."

She certainly was a smooth talker and the revenge idea hooked his interest, but Maxu was not so easily convinced. What made her think _she_ was right and the Ministry was wrong?

"If the Ministry's way of doing things was right, then why can't they stop Voldemort?"

Not one of her nearly 300 supporters could have argued against that, and they didn't try. It was the line that won them all over, and could have won over the rest of the world if she wanted their support. But she didn't want just anyone in her ranks; she only wanted those with a vendetta against the Dark Lord, those that lost friends, family and loved ones, innocent or not, and ex-Aurors sick of failure and risking their lives in a losing battle. She wanted people that, when fighting Death Eaters or Voldemort himself, would fight an all-or-nothing battle with no apprehensions or regrets, prepared to die as long as they could take somebody down with them.

That, according to Lord Psycho, was what was needed for her strategy to bring on the second fall of the Dark Lord to succeed.

_And today that might just happen, _Maxu mused. Her minion's confidence in their master was fueled by a powerful respect for her intelligence and strength, and barely outweighed their fear. Lord Psycho was not known for her gentleness or understanding, especially in traitors. Three had been discovered five years before, and were mercilessly tortured by the woman herself for hours, before being thrown to the dragons to finish them. No one had tried to double-cross her since.

Their faith in her would be tested today. They would finally find out if her philosophy was as sound as it seemed, if the master was really as powerful as she claimed, and if they really had any chance against Voldemort at all.

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"Hey Maxu."

"Hi Sakura."

"Ready for the main event?"

"As I'll ever be. You?"

"About the same."

Sakura was seated on a bright purple, glittery swivel chair in the control room, beside her massive control board. The metal thing was covered in hundreds of buttons, switches, monitors, screens, keypads, and slots. A few screens showed facts and figures with graphs and such, while four were radars keeping an eye on the four cardinal directions from the citadel. A few switches were labeled with things like "L.P.," "E.M.," and "D'm." for the miniature headsets they would be wearing. Lord Psycho was, at first, extremely against the use of a Muggle contraption such as the wireless microphones and earpieces they could use to communicate while separated. Once Sakura gave a proper demonstration, though, she was quite taken with the idea.

The girl hopped off the chair to hand over Maxu's set. She was dressed in her own uniform, very similar to the Grand General's. She had the knee-high, shiny black boots and gloves to match the black fabric, accented by red. But, she was wearing a short, heavily pleated skirt with red panels behind the black ones. Her jacket had a high collar but didn't close off to the side like Maxu's, instead closing straight down the front with a silver zipper. A wide red ribbon was wrapped around her waist where the American's belt was, tied off in the back in a massive bow. A similarly large, red bow held her hair up in an almost cute bun on the top of her head. She had changed her hair to black and her eyes to red in order to match her outfit, and her makeup was no different.

The emblem over her heart was that of a red bird in flight with pearly white eyes, set against a silver scroll. The word "Nuntius" was written under its feet in black; Latin for "messenger." Being the Master of Communications, this was all too appropriate. Sakura sent, received and translated almost every message that passed through the entire system. She was helped, of course, by a team of secondary communicators – lovingly called the Carrier Pigeons by their supervisor – one member stationed wherever Lord Psycho's other minions were. Their uniforms were either a plain black skirt or pants and a jacket similar to Sakura's, but without the red accents, and a red bird perched on a rolled-up silver scroll over their heart. The Pigeons, plus Sakura, spoke 72 languages in all (53 fluently) and were adept with the Muggle and Magical technology used to transmit information without owls. This allowed plans and such to be sent quickly, efficiently and with little risk of being intercepted and understood; how many Death Eaters can speak or read Swahili, Aramaic, and Navajo?

As Maxu placed the tiny speaker in his ear Sakura clipped the microscopic microphone on his collar. She was wearing a larger version that hooked on behind her ear with a larger speaker against her ear and a flexible arm with a microphone on the end by her mouth. Her model was less discreet but more reliable; if anyone's was going to fail, it _couldn't_ be hers.

"You nervous?" she asked softly.

"Not really," Maxu replied, fussing with the microphone. "I guess I am, but I don't really know. I feel sort of…"

"Numb?"

"Yeah. Like this isn't really happening."

Sakura nodded and sighed, "Me too. I hope she knows what she's doing."

"Don't worry so much. This is Lord Psycho we're talking about," the Grand General said casually, running his gloved fingers through his spiked light blonde hair. "If _she_ didn't know what she was doing, _we'd_ know by now."

"I get that, but…" the girl murmured as she returned to her seat. "I guess I've just had my faith shaken by everything that's happened, with Alex turning out to be a Death Eater and Schlange getting attacked by them…Makes me wonder if she's losing her touch, you know?"

"Yeah, but things turned out okay, didn't they? I mean, it's not like Alex could've hurt anything from whatever Psycho told him."

Sakura gaped at him. "And things turned out okay for Schlange? Are you kidding me?"

"Well he lived didn't he?"

"Yeah but he's a _cripple_ now! Do you have any idea what that must be like for him?"

"No, but I'd personally rather be crippled than dead."

Just as Sakura was about to start arguing, the huge, black metal doors swung open and a small crowd walked into the square-shaped room led by Edgar, still in his usual attire. He had no extra duties beyond butler-ing. The others with him were the five captains, one of the Pigeons, and the 9 men and 2 women Maxu was directly in command of.

"Lord Psycho is on her way, and I sent a messenger to Schlange to explain the situation," Edgar informed them calmly.

"He's not going through with this, is he?" Sakura asked with a pained expression as she handed out headsets to the others.

"He has no choice," the ghost replied. "It is his job, and he is the only one who can do it."

"But he's in no condition to do this!" she protested. "I don't care _who_ says he's healed, this is still too soon! The mental damage was greater than the physical, and seeing _them_ again won't help him heal any more than a fall off a cliff!"

"Lord Psycho trusts Huoh-Long's judgment, and so do I," Edgar said impatiently. "If either of them want to hold him back, they may. But until then I will follow my orders as I see fit. You should do the same."

Sakura's mouth snapped shut immediately. Taking her hint, the Pigeon approached her and asked what she was going to have her do. The Master of Communications turned back to the control board stiffly and started explaining the various devices to the woman. An extra set of eyes and hands were necessary to make sure things went smoothly. There were just a few controls and monitors too many for one person to handle, even one with a knack for multitasking like Sakura.

"So, what are your plans for us, General?" one of the captains, Pattinson, asked Maxu.

"I was thinking a Falling Cross formation."

"We figured the same. Unless Lord Psycho says differently, of course."

"Who gets to go kamikaze then?" another captain, Bradley, asked with a hint of excitement.

Maxu almost rolled his eyes. "If you _really_ want to –"

"Oh, marvelous! It was worth getting up today after all!" the short man laughed. "Shall I get my men and go set up?"

"No, not until Lord Psycho gets here," the General said simply. "If she thinks letting you do this is a bad idea…"

"Now why would she think that?" Bradley asked in a slightly offended tone.

"Because she doesn't want you to charge out yelling and screaming like a maniac and wreck everything," Spall, the only female captain, said with a chuckle. The others grinned in assent.

"I only did that _once_," Bradley snapped. "And it _was_ on her orders anyway."

"Course it was," the captains Coulson and Harris said, nodding sympathetically.

Just as Bradley was about to reply, the heavy doors banged open and in walked Lord Psycho, looking impressive as ever in her favorite armor, and even more menacing than usual with a dark scowl on her face. Everyone snapped to attention and let their eyes fall on her as Evil Minion strode in behind her. Louis made himself announced when he brushed against Spall's ankle, making her scream and jump a foot into the air. Lord Psycho threw the basilisk a look that made him stop snickering and hide under Sakura's chair.

Straightening herself up, she looked around the room and saw a combination of determined, worried, terrified and fearless looks from her underlings. She addressed the room in a terribly cheery voice, "Well! If it isn't a lovely day to do some Dark Lord thrashing, I don't know what it is!"

Some of the more apprehensive soldiers felt better at that, but others were still afraid of being annihilated. Maxu, who had been confident from the start, spoke up first. "Master, I would like your permission for a Falling Cross formation, with Bradley leading the snipers."

"Would you?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "I was thinking a Bird of Paradise would be wiser."

"But that leaves the southeast and northwest sides wide open."

"Do you think he's smart enough to attack from more than one side? I don't. So, Bird of Paradise it is."

"What about Ruffled Skirt?" Harris asked.

"That one's a plain waste of time." His master said irritably. "Sakura, how long before they're at our doorstep?"

"Ten minutes, Lord Psycho."

"See that? Ruffled Skirt takes at least 20 to set up. Bird of Paradise takes five."

"We should do Grinning Sixes." Coulson said quietly.

"That's right! I forgot about Grinning Sixes!" Lord Psycho exclaimed happily. "All right, do that, and I suppose Bradley can snipe if he wants to."

"Thank you, my lord!" the little man said with a wide smile.

"Yeah, yeah, get going already."

"Right," Maxu said before turning to face the captains. "Bradley, you go on ahead since you already know what you're doing. I want Pattinson on left, Harris on right, Spall on high middle, and Coulson on low middle. I'll be front and center." He turned to the eleven behind him and commanded, "You guys come with me."

"Ah – wait!" Lord Psycho yelped just as Bradley got outside the door. "You all remember the signals, right?"

"Don't worry, we had one of those random reviews yesterday when you weren't here." The Grand General said calmly. "Besides, a 2-year-old could figure them out."

"Oh, right." She sighed before waving them out. "All right, off you go. And _quickly_, we're short on time here."

"How are things looking?" Jack asked, peering over Sakura's shoulder.

She gestured to the wall of screens before her and opened her mouth to say something, but words failed her.

"I see," the cloaked man said grimly. "And there's _really_ 5,000 of them?"

"Really," the Pigeon said weakly. "I hope you know what you're doing, Lord Psycho."

"Of course I know what I'm doing!" she spat. "If I didn't, I'd be panicking right now! And I'm _not_, so there's your proof."

"I was just thinking that there's so bloody many of them, how are you going to be able to defend yourself if they all attack at once?" the woman pressed.

A crooked grin spread across her master's pale face. "I won't need to."

After getting her microphone and earpiece in place and waiting for Jack to return from putting his on underneath his wrap, Lord Psycho told him to go wait with Maxu and to take Louis with him. He almost protested at the change of plans; he was supposed to go with _her_ in a situation like this. But, Jack assumed there was a good reason for the alteration and kept the thought to himself.

The master, servant and snake left shortly after, leaving Sakura and her own underling to stare at the screens showing a snowy, evergreen-dotted valley slowly being consumed by a black mass that was Voldemort's entire human forces on the path to war.

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Nyx paced back and forth across a huge, circular platform cut out of the mountain her citadel sat on. A thin layer of snow made the rock lighter than it really was and filled in the decorative carvings in its surface. Behind her was an untouched wall of rock, reaching up 200 feet until hitting the very bottommost part of the citadel. Halfway up the rock on a narrow, uneven tier, Maxu and his men lay in wait, covered by invisibility cloaks, and joined by Jack and Louis. 50 feet above and below were the equally hidden Spall and Coulson, and a hundred feet to the left and right lay Pattinson and Harris. Bradley was hidden somewhere in the tall trees surrounding the large platform Nyx stood on, waiting patiently for his chance to strike from close range and where Voldemort's blind spot would be. It was bitingly cold out.

The woman stopped pacing when she could see the tops of hundreds of black hoods ascending the rocky stairs to the platform, led by the one and only Voldemort. He was the first to appear over the edge, followed closely by a small man with mousy brown hair, watery little eyes and a pointed nose, who walked in a spastic manner, clutching his right hand to his chest protectively. He sort of flinched when he saw Nyx, recognizing her from several months before when she had put the fear of god into him. Every person behind them wore a Death Eater's mask, a plain white thing with two dark holes to see out of, and almost completely flat. The twitchy little man was the only one with his hood off.

Nyx held her tongue until she knew Voldemort was close enough that the microphone hidden underneath part of her armor would be able to pick up whatever he said; Sakura was recording everything.

With her arms crossed over her chest, she stared at him critically. "It takes a lot of nerve to trespass on someone else's property. It takes even more to bring so many…_friends_."

"Good day to you, too," Voldemort replied in his high, cold voice. It sent an uncomfortable chill down Nyx's spine to hear him speak. "I am sorry you think of it as trespassing, but –"

"It's trespassing if it belongs to someone other than you and you were not invited," she said sharply. "Did you notice my failure to welcome you?"

"Yes," he said. "But I did not come here with an ill will."

"Oh, you didn't, did you? Well, I'll be damned. I'm the King of Japan after all."

Sakura laughed at the inside joke.

Voldemort did not seem terribly insulted or irritated yet, and continued quite calmly. "I'm afraid you may have misunderstood. I did not come here to cause unfounded trouble for you."

Nyx watched him curiously and said, "Go on."

"Do you recall a certain proposition made a few months ago? One we were scheduled to discuss sometime around midnight one day?"

"How could I not?"

"Considering how you failed to keep your word about that, I would assume you realize that there is no hope of recovering that deal."

"Hold on. I _kept_ my word not to bring anyone with me."

"Then who was it that showed up and started attacking my Death Eaters?"

"Someone under my command, but he did _not_ come under my orders. He…He simply made a mistake."

"Is that so?" Voldemort said softly. "Well, no matter. I no longer have any desire to collaborate with you anyway. I am merely here to take my compensation for being made a fool of by your careless followers."

"And just what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I am taking over what is rightfully yours. A bit more than trespassing, really. I would have done this quite some time ago, but I, regrettably, was lacking the manpower to do so."

"And now you do, right?"

"Correct. As I said, I did not come here to start a fight or kill anyone for no good reason, or for _any_ reason, really. Permitting that you have the sense to be cooperative and intelligent about this, I will not harm a soul under your leadership. In fact, I will allow anyone serving you to go free without forcing them to declare allegiance to me, unless they wish to. But, if you insist on protesting, I will have to take it all by force. And, believe me, I am fully prepared to."

"I see." Nyx said quietly. "Well, since you're so prepared, I'm going to have to insist on protesting because I'm rather fond of my home, you see, and I daresay I'd have a mutiny on my hands if I didn't fight back."

"Is that right?" Voldemort asked, sounding bemused as he glanced around the area and added, "I don't see anyone to help you fend off 5,000 Death Eaters _and_ their master at the same time."

"That's because I don't _need_ any help, silly," she replied with a grin. "Now, would you like to have a nice, civilized duel or a plain old brawl? I'm up for either."

She heard a hiss of air as the man took in a sharp breath. As he spoke, she could tell that he was getting tired of her attitude. "This is your final decision?"

"It is. Even if you were offering to work with me again, I'd say no. I don't particularly care for your minions, for one thing; they're downright stupid from what I've heard, and those…_outfits_ are a right eyesore. My underlings are _far_ more useful, and their uniforms are rather sexy, if I do say so myself." She paused to look thoughtful for a moment. "Actually, I suppose the peons reflect the master, don't you think?"

"Hardly." He said stiffly. "If you mean what I think you do, I heard you were supposed be rather attractive. Whoever said that must have owed you money because that's simply an overstatement." The Death Eaters who could hear what was being said laughed.

"I've heard a few things about you as well," Nyx replied unabashedly. "Why don't you drop the hood so I can see for myself?"

Voldemort reached a white, spidery hand up and pulled the hood back to reveal his extremely pale, bald head. His wide, crimson eyes with cat-like slits stared at her coldly above a flat nose with snake-like nostrils. Any normal person would have screamed or at least looked terrified at the sight of him. Nyx was not a normal person.

The Dark Lord felt a wave of anger rise in his chest as the woman doubled over laughing. "And just what is so _very_ amusing?"

"I heard…you were supposed to…to look _scary_," she choked out through tears. "…not like a sideshow freak!" Nyx's minions laughed to themselves as Sakura allowed them to hear what she had said.

Most of the Death Eaters near their master pulled out their wands and prepared to curse the life out of the woman insulting him, but a silent warning from the man himself stopped them. "Ah, yes, this is just what I was expecting from you. Rather childish, if you ask me."

"I may be childish but at least I have fun," Nyx said, smiling. "I _can_ be serious if I need to, but I really don't think you're worth the effort."

"That doesn't matter," Voldemort retorted icily. "I can _make_ you take me seriously."

And with a barely perceptible wave of his hand, a fiery green serpent materialized out of thin air and coiled itself around the woman, squeezing the breath out of her. A pang of fear struck many of her underlings; she apparently wasn't as strong as she claimed to fall prey to such a simple spell.

To their surprise, an impish laugh escaped their master and the snake slowly dissolved into shards of green glass, which shattered as they struck the stone. Nyx was completely unhurt. "Oh, you _are_ amusing. But I'm afraid you'll have to do better than that if you want me to, uh…'take you seriously.'"

Voldemort turned even whiter in the face and spat, "Have it your way, then."

And with a hundred shouts of _"Avada Kedavra", _a hundred green jets of light collided with Nyx's abdomen and shattered the metal plate covering it. Her limp body shivered and fell back into the shallow snow, blank eyes staring up into the gray sky as particles of snow began a slow descent.

The line to her master's headset went dead, and Sakura felt dread drop over her like a heavy blanket, leaving her cold and numb and totally uncomprehending to what just happened.

With a jolt of rage and rush of adrenaline, Maxu saw her laying still on the whiteness and remembered the order she gave him when he became Grand General three years before: _"If I should ever fall in battle, the order is yours to give." _…the order to fire at will at the sorry fool who hurt her.

Louis was perched on a rock, gaping at his adoptive mother and not caring that he was in plain sight, having escaped from beneath the invisibility cloak. His scaly face contorted with fury as he bared his immature fangs and a low, growling hiss built in his throat. He didn't have any venom in those teeth, but that wouldn't stop him from tearing Voldemort's throat out.

Jack was on his feet, staring down at his fallen love. _No…it…it **can't** be…she's not… _Something closed around his throat, choking him and robbing his mind of the ability to do anything but replay the vision of Nyx being hit with a hundred killing curses at once and not getting back up, over and over and over until Jack thought he would go insane.

Voldemort watched the woman's body for a moment just to be sure, before smirking and gliding over beside her. He bent down a bit and shook his head in disgust as he gazed at her frozen face while snowflakes collected on it. "Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. She was so arrogant she didn't even see it coming. Well, no matter. What's done is done, and this is what I wanted done anyway." He turned on his heel and began walking back towards the mass of Death Eaters and declared, "We're finished here."

But a frantic shout of, _"Look!"_ caught his attention. Voldemort spun around to face the steep, rocky mountainside to see 50-or-so uniformed people casting off invisibility cloaks to stare in wonder at something across the valley. He turned slowly, not registering that there were over 50 of her followers still to take care of, and saw what they were all gaping at. Over the backdrop of dark, snowy-branched trees, a massive, glowing wand with a red circle around it and a slash going through it hung in the air. It was Lord Psycho's signal of "Do Not Fire," and it could only appear at her bidding. It had not been there until the person shouted.

The image gleamed silver and morphed into a large thumbs-up sign, and then transformed into a huge Lord-Psycho-face, who was grinning mischievously and sticking her tongue out. Brilliant red letters materialized above it:

"MADE YOU LOOK!"

A delighted laugh echoed out in the silence from behind him, and Voldemort spun around, eyes wide with disbelief, to come face-to-face with Nyx. She was standing, brushing the snow off of herself and chuckling as if she was enjoying a rather well-done joke. When she chose to give her nemesis her attention again, he looked like he'd been Stupefied, and not at all happy.

Nyx wagged her finger at him reprovingly, reminding herself very much of Horace Slughorn, and said in a voice to match, "Now, now, don't look at me like that. You're not the only one with Horcruxes, you know."

"Wha-?" Voldemort spluttered. He was nothing short of horrified that she knew about his Horcruxes – notably in the plural – and even more alarmed that she had more than one of her own.

Meanwhile the 73 people and one basilisk scattered around the platform gaped at their seemingly indestructible master, and felt a blazing ray of hope shine down on them. Louis was absolutely beside himself with joy, bouncing up and down and chanting/hissing, _"she's alive, she's alive, she's alive!"_ Maxu was, admittedly, a little disappointed that he couldn't give the order, but nevertheless extremely pleased and impressed that Nyx was not dead. The line came back for Nyx's headpiece and, staring in astonishment at the monitor, Sakura and the Pigeon realized what happened and that their master would not be taken for such a weakling again.

Jack had practically collapsed with relief when he saw her get up and start taunting Voldemort again, especially because he heard every word she said. Along with the warm fluttering feeling in his chest he received at knowing she survived, Jack felt a strange chill carry through him that was not from the snow or cold.

_So she has a Horcrux…no, more than one; she said 'Horcrux**es**'…but how is it possible to have more than one? And why didn't she say anything about this before? Probably for one of her weird reasons again. Maybe she just wanted to give us all heart failure or see who actually cared if she died or not…_

Unconsciously reaching for his left sleeve, Jack wondered if this had anything to do with the thing she entrusted him to guard with his life once Nyx made him her official bodyguard. Though, now, it seemed like a completely superfluous job since she'd just proved the rumor of her being immortal. Or, if not completely immortal, very close to it. And the fact that she had at last 2 Horcruxes might have had something to do with the 5-inch-long discarded fang tied to several unicorn hairs, set securely around his left arm with the tooth resting on the underside of it. She gave no explanation for the fang; where it came from, how old it was, or why she wanted him to guard it with his life. Obviously, it was of extreme importance, but was that because it was one of her Horcruxes?

Jack didn't know, and right now he really didn't care. He could ask her plenty of questions later. Now was the time to celebrate the fact that Voldemort was about a hair away from getting the life beaten out of him.

"Now," Nyx said impressively, beginning to walk a circle around the still stunned Voldemort with her hands clasped behind her back. "That was a valiant effort on your part to get rid of me, I'll give you that, but as I said you're going to have to try harder if you want to succeed. I'm afraid all you did with that little outburst was give me a chuckle and annoy me at the same time. So, I shall have to punish you accordingly, seeing as this is my property and you are at my mercy."

"_Your_ mercy?" the other Dark Lord spat in disbelief. "Who's the one with a few thousand servants standing behind him, ready to attack at a moment's notice?" By now the woman was back to standing in front of the wall of rock where she started.

Slowly turning her head to face him and slowly pulling a hand out from behind her back, Nyx displayed a long, thin wand in her grasp. "And who's got whose wand?"

Everyone's jaws dropped, Nyx's minions in amazed glee and the Death Eaters in shocked horror that their revered master had fallen for such a dimwitted trick. Louis even let out a vicious cackle and shouted, _"You **suck**, loser!"_

But, Voldemort simply smiled at this and reached into his own robes, pulling out a 13-inch wand made of yew, which the other was not. And as he did so, he turned to the mousy little man near him and said, "And _that_, Wormtail, is why I always carry a spare."

The triumphant look slid off of Nyx's face. She stared hard at the wand in her hand to find that it was nothing more than a twig pulled from a tree. With a shriek of rage, she whipped the stick at the ground and stomped on it with vigor until it was in 50 pieces. Panting, she rounded on Voldemort and snarled, _"**Anyone **but you! It works on **everyone** else! **Damn **you, why did you have to carry a fucking **spare**?"_

The snake-ish man watched her throw a little fit with a faintly amused grin, before saying lightly, "What was that you were saying about my being at your mercy? I've forgotten already." He said this with an air of only having forgotten because he didn't find it worthy of his remembering in the first place.

Nyx's face morphed into her characteristic I-know-something-you-don't-know with an evil twist and said calmly, "I said you were all at my mercy, you and your little Death Eaters, and I was going to tell you there's nothing you can do about it before I was…distracted."

"And how, pray tell, do you figure that one out?" Voldemort asked in a bored voice.

Without a word, the woman set her eyes on the mountain behind them. The red-and-golden orbs seemed to glow for a moment before Voldemort turned to see what she was up to now. A behemoth of a red dragon had materialized, holding three fiery X's in its claws. In a heartbeat, a battle roar sounded throughout the valley, and twenty-nine fully-grown dragons of all shapes, sizes, colors and temperaments soared in from out of the blue. Many landed at the edges of the mass of Death Eaters, making them shrink inwards in fear as the creatures growled and snapped at them menacingly. Others flew overhead like great scaly vultures, looking down at the black-robed people like they were inspecting an all-you-can-eat buffet.

With an earthshaking crash, a 30th dragon landed beside Nyx, having leapt down the rocky wall to join her as per orders. He was massive with dark, metal-gray scales and burning crimson eyes to match the crest of feathery fur reaching from the crown of his head to the tip of his tail. Two silvery, curving, ram-like horns sprouted out of his skull, similar in color to the long claws on his legs. Long, white linen bandages were wrapped around various areas of his body to hide the light-sensitive scars from his first encounter with Death Eaters. Two little stubs stuck out of his back where huge, leathery wings once were, also covered in bandaging.

"I believe you've met Schlange already," Nyx said off-handedly as she gestured to the beast beside her, who looked like he was ready to pounce. "I must say, he's rather keen on getting back at you for what you did to him last time you met. But, I've already explained to him that only under certain circumstances would he be allowed to have a bite to eat, so he ought to behave today. "She threw him a glance that was meant to look like a warning, but instead came across as very forced.

"It _lived_?" one of the closer-by Death Eaters breathed in morbid amazement. Schlange flared his nostrils and dug his claws against the stone, restraining himself from burning the man's face off. It was only his master's strength that was keeping him under control and preventing a scene of mass carnage. She promised she would exact revenge for him, but if something went awry she _might_ let him do it himself. He hated hearing that, but there was nothing he could do; beggars can't be choosers, and since he was begging for revenge he couldn't really choose how it would be done.

"Yes, _he_ lived," Nyx said sharply. "Disappointed?"

Peeking over his shoulder at the dragons eyeing his lackeys and ignoring what Nyx said, Voldemort cut in with, "I suppose the dragons are for putting us 'at your mercy,' hm?"

"Not really," she replied. "They're just there to make sure you don't try to run off. They won't harm a hair on your heads as long as they aren't provoked, or until I tell them to attack. I'm a bit greedy, so I'd like all the fun of tormenting you for myself."

"And what if we manage to incapacitate your precious little dragons with enough time to gang up on you and make you regret that you were ever born, and then escape unscathed?"

"You won't."

"You're so confident it's almost inspiring."

"You would be too if you saw what I just did to your precious little Death Eaters."

Voldemort raised a nonexistent eyebrow at her curiously, and started when he heard a loud cluck from a few feet to his side. Paling ever more, he slowly turned to face Wormtail, and felt like he'd been slapped with a largemouth bass when he saw a chicken in a little Death Eater robe staring back at him innocently. He whirled around to look behind him and saw nothing but 5,000 chickens in black chicken-sized robes littering the valley, clucking and squawking noisily.

And as the Dark Lord Voldemort fell to his knees in the worst shock he'd received in a very long time, Nyx's minions (and even the dragons) howled with laughter until their stomachs were wracked with pain.

When he finally got a grip, Voldemort spun around on his feet, fist clenched tightly around his wand and shooting a kind of look at Nyx that would frighten a boggart. No one in their right mind had ever _dared_ insult him like that, and he intended to make her pay for it. Without a word of warning, the Dark Lord fired some kind of complicated curse at her that should have melted the skin off her bones, which she waved away with a casual hand. Another curse designed to inflate a bubble of air in the victim's stomach that grew until they popped was stopped in midair before Nyx calmly stepped out of the way, and then released into the rocks behind her. A final, desperate barrage of every unfriendly spell he could think of flew out of Voldemort's wand and collided with his enemy. A small explosion of white light tinged with red followed, and he was sure that had done _something._

He could not have been more right.

Out of the glowing light of the explosion, an even brighter light shot out of the top, twisting and morphing into a long, odd shape. It stopped extending just before the lights began to fade, and beyond the cloud of smoke from the detonation all onlookers couldn't believe what they were seeing.

For the first time in years, fear flitted across Voldemort's face as he stared up into the red-and-gold eyes of a hundred-foot-long, jet-black basilisk with a stark white scar over where it's heart should have been.

Louis let out an incoherent scream of excited jubilation before slithering down the rocks to his mummy the basilisk Animagus. The others just stared in wonder as the little green snake wiggled up onto Nyx's back, cheering and bouncing all over the place. The black basilisk bent her head down to level with his and grinned, showing rows of long, glistening fangs – fully grown and filled with venom. Her eyes, however, held no effect as the result of a spell she had arranged to be placed on them. That was done after she paralyzed a very good friend by accident, and it had actually come in quite handy afterwards. The lack of instant death when gazing into those eyes made people suspect that she was an utterly weak and somehow deformed creature…until she ate them. They did little thinking after that.

"…_and **holy shit** you look so **cool **but why didn't you tell me before I would've really liked to know I mean yeah it's a great surprise but really this is one of those things you should tell people because it's so freaking **cool** and –"_

Nyx had placed the tip of her tail over his little motor-mouth to silence him. _"There's a time for that, and this is not it. So do mummy a favor and go back on up for now."_

Just as Louis was about to protest, a foreign hiss invaded the conversation. _"'Mummy?'" _Voldemort was staring at the pair with a most curious expression.

"_You got a problem with it, weirdo?"_ Louis shot back, not really registering that he was also a Parselmouth.

"_He calls me that." _Nyx said, hitting the smaller basilisk in the mouth with her tail.

"_Whatever for?"_

"_I was the first thing he saw when he hatched."_

"_Damn am I glad I didn't see **you** first thing. I woulda been scarred for life!"_

"_That's enough, Louis."_

"…_Louis?"_

"_**What?"**_

"…_you named…a basilisk…**Louis?"**_

"_Yeah. What of it?"_

"_Yeah, you wanna mess, **biotch?"**_

But Voldemort could not answer because he was laughing too hard. It was a high, cold laugh, like his voice and his hiss, with a hysterical, insane edge to it that made Nyx feel very odd as she heard it. She flipped Louis off of her and ordered him to go wait with Jack, which he sullenly did after she threatened to lock him outside that night. Schlange took his hint as well and exited the area to watch from a safe distance. After they were out of her way, Nyx began circling her enemy once again, shoving a few chickens off the edge of the platform as she slithered for a cheap laugh. Her body nearly spanned the circumference of the platform.

As Voldemort's taunting laughter subsided, a long dialogue of incoherent Parseltongue continued between the two Dark Lords, initiated by Nyx, and left everyone in the dark. It was like listening to a conversation in a foreign language, one that was haunting to hear but with an almost melodic quality to it, and yet completely impossible to comprehend. The only clues the non-snake-speakers received were the tones of their voices and the expressions they wore. It was easier to see in the more human (though not wholly human at that) Voldemort, who's face went from smug to coldly irritated, to cruelly amused, to distinctly nervous, to momentarily enraged, to a quiet smile, back to furious, and then finally to stoic, as if an argument had just ended in a completely unsatisfying draw.

But only Jack noticed Louis curled on the rock beside him, and only he knew something was wrong. The basilisk's jaw was hanging off its hinge with his vivid yellow eyes locked on Nyx in horrified accusation. Something she had said had clearly struck a bad chord with him, and Jack's curiosity was fired up.

His attention was wrenched back onto the scene below when he saw another bright light grow and fade to leave his recognizable master standing before Voldemort, each staring at the other indifferently. The stare was broken after several long seconds when each turned on their heel in opposing directions, the man continuing to turn on the spot and disapparating, shortly followed by his Death Chickens. Nyx apparated to a flat area concealed by rocks at the base of the citadel, wearing a cold expression. A massive black door leading into the dungeons glared at her for what she had just done.

But when she heard her minions running over to her making all sorts of noise, her expression changed to a proud grin. As the crowd gathered around her and the dragons flapped in from below to either hover above and around or land nearby, the Master held out her hands to silence them.

And in an impressive voice, she said, "No autographs, please. And don't kiss the ground I walk on, you don't know where these shoes have been."

A flood of questions and praises came in response, mixed with laughter. "You're freaking amazing, Lord Psycho!" "Why the hell didn't you tell us you were an Animagus?" "You're unregistered, aren't you? That's so cool; everyone loves a rebel!" "Why'd you let that bastard go?"

The last one was answered first.

"I let him go because if I killed him now, it would be all wrong. _He_ came here to pick a fight, so it would've been under his conditions. When I kill him, it has to be under _my_ conditions and the way _I_ want him to be killed. I know a lot of you are thinking, 'fuck that, just kill him and be done with it,' but as your official representative against him, I feel that it is my duty to give him a taste of hell before sending him there. This was part of that taste of hell; did you notice how bent out of shape he got when I embarrassed him?"

An enlightened murmur of assent rippled through the crowd.

"By embarrassing him, I did three things. I caused him mental and spiritual pain because nobody's ever done that to him before and he absolutely can't stand it, and can't retaliate very well, if I do say so myself. I also put the fear of god into him by displaying my powers, and that means he won't take us so lightly ever again. Plus it was a pretty good show, wasn't it?"

A chorus of "hell yeah"s answered her, along with another loud question from Maxu: "You're freaking immortal, aren't you?"

Nyx gazed at him through the heads and shrugged. "Looks like it."

Bradley appeared at her hip, inspecting her abdomen and saying impressively, "And I know why: Lord Psycho's abs are stronger than the foundations of the earth!"

The underlings gaped and gasped and giggled at this revelation even though they knew (or _hoped_, rather) that the little man was joking. Jack provided the correct answer.

"The _real_ reason is that Lord Psycho's got herself a Horcrux."

All eyes turned to face the young man robed in black standing away from the group, staring at his master with his piercing blue eyes. As Nyx made no effort to reply to that, he added, "Am I wrong?"

The minions spun around to face their master again, looking like curious little children with wide, wondering eyes that pleaded for an answer. She obliged with a small nod, winning herself a thousand more eager questions. Most were asking stupid things like "Really?" or "Are you kidding?", but others were asking her to reveal the spell used to create one. Nyx was no less surprised at that request than if Sakura ran up to her and told her she found out Jack's real name like it was earth-shattering news.

But she had no choice but to refuse to tell them. She would feel obliged to supervise them while they were making their own Horcruxes, and the part where the soul actually split and became visible would be…risky. However, saying that would make them ask even more questions, and probably prompt a certain Voice from trying to overstep his bounds again, and she refused to let that happen. So, Nyx made up something about 'if you do the spell wrong your soul gets blasted to a million pieces and you have to live like a zombie for the rest of eternity because you're immortal but not human and really gross and nobody'll love you and it sucks so stop asking.' Needless to say, they dropped the subject pretty quickly.

At the thought of souls and Horcruxes and whatnot, Nyx felt an uncomfortable twinge at the base of her skull, like someone was tickling her brain with needles. She immediately knew why and immediately knew that she needed to get away from the rest of them until it was over, so she created a diversion.

"How about this," she announced. "In honor of Lord Voldymuffin's latest humiliation, drinks on the house and open banquet tonight!"

A rousing cheer from her underlings threatened to deafen her as they skipped inside for the unlimited booze awaiting them, thanking her as they went. Schlange congratulated her on a job well done and went off to dismiss the other dragons and go have a bite to eat since Death Eaters were no longer on the menu. Jack lingered at the end of the procession to fall into step with his master.

"You scared the shit out of me when you went down, you know," he said.

"Really? Then I apologize." Nyx replied. "But, if I hadn't let the curses hit me no one would've believed that I was immortal. Not to mention I couldn't wait to see the look on ol' Voldy's face when I got back up."

"Speaking of which, I left 'Horcrux' in the singular because I guessed you could be angry enough with me for saying you had a Horcrux at all," Jack added, eyeing her from under the hood.

"You heard that, did you?" his master muttered. "Oh, well. Nothing to be done about it now. Just don't ask questions and don't tell anyone else there's more than one. I'd like to remain nice and enigmatic, if you please."

"As you wish," he replied simply. Just as he reached the door to hold it open for Nyx, a sharp, angry snarl erupted from a basilisk slithering over to the woman, looking absolutely livid. Again, Jack had no idea what they were saying, but from the looks of their expressions, Louis had overheard something he wasn't supposed to and Nyx was not a bit pleased about it. Her second-in-command imagined her telling him to drop it or mind his own business, leaving the snake looking dejected, insulted and no less angry. But his mummy looked no more agreeable, so Jack kept his wonderings to himself.

Once in the hall even with the bar, where the rest of the peons were busy getting hammered off their asses, Jack turned one way and Nyx turned the other, prompting a confused, "Um, Nyx? The bar's this way."

The woman turned halfway as she walked on and explained while pointing to the damaged armor, "I need to change first. If I was seen like this at a social gathering, I'd be _scandalized!"_

Jack laughed and gave her a wave before continuing on his way, followed for the first time ever by a sullen Louis. Once out of her sight, his hand flew to the fang on his arm. He was positive that it was a Horcrux, especially since she admitted to having more than one, ruling out her adding an '-es' onto Horcrux being a slip of the tongue or a lie. He was proud to know that she trusted him enough to guard a fraction of her soul, but he wished she would tell him where it came from and why it was special enough to become a Horcrux. It was only because she specifically asked him not to ask that he didn't.

He didn't want to cause her any more pain than he subconsciously knew she already had to bear.

------------------------------------------------------------------

On the way to her room, Nyx stumbled blindly through once-familiar halls. The twinge at the base of her brain had grown to a blinding ache, reaching down her spine through every nerve in her body and invading her brain so that her skull felt like it would burst under the pressure. She was dizzied and disoriented by the pain, and the horrible voice echoing in her ears wasn't helping.

…**you were very naughty back there, my dear…these lies of yours are going to catch up with you one of these days, I hope you know that…**

"…sod…o-off…" she retorted weakly. The voice laughed at her.

**Now what kind of talk is that, my little delinquent? Keep it up and I shall have to bite back.**

"…leave me…alone…"

**I _have_ left you alone, for the past _year_ I think, up until recently when you asked to speak with me. That was quite enjoyable, by the way, getting to go have a little romp in the real world. I _do_ like it when you let me take the wheel, you know, even for how…_short_ it is. Makes my miserable existence less dull. If you want me to let you be so badly, I should like another little jaunt around the place to, ah…relieve some stress, perhaps?**

"…you're not…not going _anywhere_, d…_damn_ you…"

…**now you're just being unreasonable. Here I've been, nice and quiet like you said you wanted me, and for what? This relationship won't hold out if you don't keep your promises, _Onyxsus_. **

"SHUT _UP!"_

**Still have that temper, I see. Got you in an awful lot of trouble back then, remember? And it'll get you in worse if you don't learn to control it. I've told you this before, yet you never listen to me, just like everything else. And you wonder why I get so cross. This is supposed to be a symbiotic relationship, and you make me feel like a parasite! It's really rather rude of you. Your father wouldn't approve at all-**

"_Like I bloody care what **he** thinks! Or what **you** think! He's dead and gone, and if I had my way **you** would be too! I **hate **you!"_

**Well if I haven't heard _that_ a thousand times. We used to get along so wonderfully, you and I…Like we were really 'one.' Why, just yesterday we were doing _so_ well, but now you're getting all snippy with me. These mood swings of yours aren't very becoming, missy. **

**Don't you remember that us being as 'one' is the only way you can survive like this? Because of what I do for you, and what I can still do, if only you would really accept me? Don't you realize the kind of power you would have if we actually worked together full-time? Didn't what happened yesterday wake you up to that? I am the key to your powers, my dear, there is no escaping that. I am the only one who can control them for you…or make you lose control.**

**Do you remember what happened the first time you lost it? Do you want something like that to happen again?**

"…that's enough…"

**When you murdered him? Precious, love-of-your-life Kalixius?**

"I said that's _enough."_

**Do you remember, Onyxsus? Do you remember what it felt like to wake up and have someone tell you what you did?**

"Damn you to the depths, I said _shut up!"_

**Do you remember what his blood tasted like, smelled like? What his bones breaking sounded like? Do you?**

"_**SHUT UP!"**_

**Do you remember the look in his eyes when he realized what was going to happen just a moment too late? The terror, the confusion, the accusation, the pain and hatred of betrayal by the one he loved? _DO YOU?_**

Nyx could no longer feel. Every particle of her existence was being torn apart by the most unholy pain she had ever felt, one that made her beg for death to rescue her from it. Her surroundings swam and flipped in front of her; everything was dark with muffled, inhuman voices all around as she was forced to drag her broken body towards the full-length mirror in her room. How she had reached her room and how the cloth covering the mirror had been removed, she did not know.

There was a face in the glass, level with hers, which was being forcibly held up from the floor. It would have been identical to her own if she had been a male, but smoky and blurred into the blackness surrounding it, with horrible, glowing red eyes. She preferred the black, pitiless eyes of the man in the portrait to those burning up her own eyes now.

**I can give you the powers of a _god_, Onyxsus… **the face said. **…Just as I can take them away and leave you helpless as a newborn infant…Remember that.**

A claw-like hand closed around the back of Nyx's neck, wrenched her back, and – everything went black.

The next thing Nyx remembered was Edgar's voice, which seemed very distant, asking her, "Bloody Mary, my lord?" and then a rush of cold blood flowing down her throat. She then woke up, laying on the floor where she last remembered being; at the foot of the mirror, which, apparently, her head had been smashed into a few times. She was covered in bloody shards of mirror glass and felt like she'd been run over by the Hogwarts Express.

When she said she'd be fine in a bit, Edgar seemed to mumble something about "I'll tell them you'll be a little while yet," as he floated off. But just before he exited, he said one thing that rang in her ears painfully:

"Life is hard when you share your body with a Beast, eh, Nyx?"

--- to be continued in Chapter 19 : The Tomb of Ice ---

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**Disclaimer: **Own not, profit not, sue not. (With exception of everyone but Voldy and the Death Eaters. (lol, it sounds like a band)) 

**A/N: **-cackles- And the plot thickens. Again. Woo-hoo! And Fanfiction . net?YOU SUCK FOR NOT LETTING ME LOG IN FOR THE PAST 5 DAYS, THEREFORE DISABLING ME FROM UPDATING MY PROGRESS AND POSTING THIS ON TIME! GAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! DAMN YOU DAMN YOU _DAMN YOU! _…and now you know why this is late.

**General Notes: **Sorry if the stuff in the beginning with the uniforms and inner-workings of Nyx's organization was a bit boring, but it needed to be explained. And those uniforms are just about the sexiest things ever. -dances- And the reason Maxu wants to avenge his family will be explained a bit later, and it's quite sad.

The 5 captains were named after actors in the HP movies (cookies to whoever picked that up right away!) : Pattinson after Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson), Bradley after Filch (David Bradley), Spall after Wormtail (Timothy Spall), Coulson after Tom Riddle from the Diary (Christian Coulson – who is a sexy beast, by the way), Harris after the original, non-Hippie, GOOD Dumbledore (Richard Harris).

The fang Jack has is SUPER meaningful, as is all the Horcrux business. The minions don't know it, but _you_ know she's already immortal because of SMS. Makes you wonder why she has Horcruxes if she don't need 'em… -walks off whistling innocently-

"OMFG DEATH CHICKENS! WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"...That was what I did when I thought of that and decided to put it in here. I hope you enjoyed it, and I plan on doodling a Death Chicken sometime soon. Will update if that happens, and if I can stop laughing once I'm done.

Nyx is a weirdo-looking basilisk for a reason that will be revealed in the future. She's a basilisk period for an even better reason, which will be revealed about 1 or 2 chapters before the other one. -la dee da-

"Lord Voldymuffin" will be repeated in the future, along with a mildly perverted joke. From Nyx, of course. -gigglesnort-

That voice is such an asshole. He's called 'the Beast' for obvious reasons. (He's mean and cruel and hurtful and a snot. And an asshole, but I already said that.) We'll be seeing mucho more of him from now on, to Nyx's dismay because he's never nice to her. Agreeable, yes, on occasion. Nice, not a chance.

And what? Edgar knows more about Nyx than we thought? ...matter of fact, he knows just as much as Snape and Slughorn, possibly more. :o

**Preview:** Operation Baby Seal is a success! (Nyx: It's about goddamn time, you _slackers!)_ And Sakura and Maxu go on a road trip and find out why Sakura joined up with Nyx in the first place. W00T! …and maybe, just _maaaayyyybeee,_ I'll introduce a new character, too. He's either coming next chapter or the chapter after that, so it's really up to length and whatnot. I shall makeith no promises, but he kicks major ass and I want his hair. -pets him- He has a funky name too.

**Final Words: **For real this time, next chapter won't be really long. We swears it, precious. So, we hopeses it won't take us a long time to types it up, so please don't beat us, nice readerses and reviewerses, if it's late…yes, be nice to the precious…if precious reviweses, we mights be ables to gets it up quicker...yesss, _precioussss_… -end Gollum speech- Well, that was interesting. -has been watching too much Lord of the Rings- -lol-

Is anyone else _really_ pissed off that the Goblet of Fire DVD has no special features? Because I was, and I still am. $22 for no special features? BULLSHIT! -fumes- See below for more: 1-disc and no cool stuff is $22, when 2-disc import is $15? WHAT THE HELL, PEOPLE.

**Kavi's Random Fangirl Moment (Or Eternity...):** OMG FINAL FANTASY VII ADVENT CHILDREN COMING TO MY HOUSE ON WEDNESDAY! ONLY 15 FUCKING DOLLARS ON AMAZON! AND THAT'S THE 2-DISC VERSION! HOLY SHIT, THAT'S CHEAP! OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG! -hypers- I've only seen the first hour, but I had an eyegasm when I saw it's gorgeousness. Especially VINCENT.OMFG.-loves Vincent to death-And Steven Jay Blum does his English voice! AAAAAHHHHH! That's the same guy that voices Darcia of Wolf's Rain and Shishio Makoto of Ruroni Kenshin! AND I AM IN LOVE WITH HIS VOICE! WAAAAAAA! IT MAKES ME HAPPY, DAMMIT! Not to mention Steve Staley's in there, too, as Kadaj, and he does Harry McDougal in Outlaw Star, and he is hands-down my favorite character there. He just makes me laugh my ass off every time I see him, with his blue hair in a purple bow and his fagginess even though he loves Melfina…But I digress. Actually I don't because I am freaking hyper about this and I have been since I saw it a day ago. -bounces off the walls-

So, yeah. I'm really really really happy about that. In fact I've spent the past 2 days looking up Vincent pictures and saving them for later happiness. -dances because she has a shitload of eye candy on her computer- And I want a Bahamut. And a Shadow Creeper. -dances some more-

(For those who don't know/care about Final Fantasy...sorry you had to put up with me there. For those who do...I probably sound like an idiot because the only FF game I have played in my lifetime is Crystal Chronicles and that has nothing to do with the general FF plot, so I really don't know what I'm talking about beyond Advent Children. For those who are obsessed with Vincent like me...-gives you twothumbs-up-.)

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**The Lurkette: **Yay for first-time-reviewers! And, no, your review was great. I like it when people are thorough and tell me what they think. And omglolwtf you're the only person who noticed I changed how she said 'anime.' -points for you- All my relatives say it "annie-may" because they don't know any better, so I figured she should say it like that too. Anyway, Jack and Anna are going to be around more often in the future. Just not right now. (I might be able to squeeze them in next chapter, but I won't make promises.) 

And I like the theories. No comment on 1 or 3, but number 2 is _very_ near the mark. I won't say any more, but at least that'll give you something to think about… : ) And no, I've never played Kingdom Hearts because I have a GameCube and everyone sucks because they won't make KH for Gamecube just like all the other cool games, so we just get the crappy ones, with the exception of a few, but that doesn't include KH or any of the Final Fantasy games besides Crystal Chronicles and that makes me really sad because I really want to play them all but I am NOT going to buy a Playstation 2/3/whatever just for a couple games that I don't know if I'll personally like even thought everyone raves about them, and my friends with Playstations are stupid and don't have any of those games because they're obsessed with the boring realistic games, like Nascar and James Bond and Football, and Idon't care forthose at all, and there's no way they'd ever get any good ones, plus I don't have a clue how to work a Playstation in the first place so it wouldn't do me any good to rent a game and borrow a friend's Playstation or something because I'd have to take the stuff back by the time I got used to the controls and stuff, AND THAT SUCKS.

But, yeah, the Heartless and Nobodies sound like OkoE. Not any one specific character, but a few of them (some which haven't even been in it yet :o), and in a couple different ways… (I'd say more but it would give too much away. I'll try to remember to come back to this later.)

**Hiya: **Lol, he probably didn't get it as much as you were hoping for, but never fear; they're gonna be fighting again soon enough, and she's _really_ gonna pull out the stops then. (-runs around singing "Voldy in a dre-ess, Voldy in a dre-ess…" until he Avada Kedavras her-) And I'm _sure_ you can tell about the Voice now…

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**--- k**avi**-s**ama**---**


	19. Chapter 19: The Tomb of Ice

Chapter 19 – The Tomb of Ice

Edgar was worried for his master. Nyx hadn't had an episode like that in years, and there shouldn't have been any reason for it to happen. In the past, the Beast had sometimes tortured her like that after she had been physically or mentally weakened, which was the only time she had difficulty holding up her defenses against him. Nyx told him it worked like Occlumency; she had to create a barrier around her mind to keep him out, or at least quiet. Unfortunately, this proved difficult as the Beast was not a person standing near her, staring at her and trying to peek into her mind. He was far worse.

The Beast was like a split personality within Nyx, and yet like a separate entity at the same time. She had been hearing his voice ever since she contracted SMS, but that didn't mean that she wasn't being possessed. Traditionally, people with multiple personalities aren't aware of the other 'people' in them, but Nyx was painfully aware of the Beast. If someone _was_ possessing her, they would have had to be an SM as well to match her age, and that was extremely unlikely. Nyx knew for a fact that she was the oldest SM on record, and likely off-record too.

She and Edgar had silently come to the conclusion that the Beast was nothing more than a voice in her head, though they would have rather slaughtered puppies than accept it. This also led them to another conclusion; one that gave Nyx her darkest nightmares, the kind she would have to kill Jack if he ever saw.

People who hear voices are, more likely than not, insane.

And when SMs go insane…

The ghostly butler shuddered every time he thought of it. The prospect that his master was already in the Insanity Decline was the most horrible thought he could dream up. He knew what would happen if she lost it; the Beast would take control of her and go to town, destroying everything and everyone in his path. All for a laugh, and while making everyone think that it was Nyx's doing. And she would be as good as dead because there would be nothing she could do to stop him. The only thing that would stop everything would be Nyx's death, brought on by whomever is in control of her, and that would be the end of it all. It was all they could do to hold that day off as long as possible as Nyx struggled to keep a firm grip on reality and her faithful butler to help her along the way.

That was why Edgar agreed to work with Nyx and help her cope with her problems, despite the fact that he was already dead when they met. He was like a therapist, in a sense, when she would have issues with her disease, and especially the Beast. Edgar was able to discreetly deliver her blood to her and keep her as mentally sound as possible while playing 'butler' and, like the good sport he was deep down inside, putting up with the other idiots she hired. He made her life far easier by being able to listen to her problems without her having to skip any…_incriminating_ details, which she always had to do with nearly everyone else she would discuss her issues with.

And it was because of this latest attack and other recent happenings that Edgar was so worried for Nyx. She was changing, and perhaps not all for the better. He had been under the impression that she had the Beast, as well as everything else that could ruin life as they knew it, under control, but it certainly didn't seem that way. He was almost angry with her for losing it even a little bit just because of the harm that could come from one mistake, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. But, at the same time, he felt terrible pity for her because there was a good chance it was out of her control altogether. The Beast had exhibited great power and potential before, and his latest attack on Nyx had shown no different. Edgar prayed that he wasn't getting more powerful or putting her under his control as she had kept him for many years.

Nyx seemed to be sensing this as well. After past incidences like the one the day before, the woman often retreated into a shell for a while to think, hope, and fear. She would hole herself up in a room for hours on end, not doing anything productive or interesting to anyone's knowledge. She would just sit and stare out a window or at a clock, or into a cracked mirror – but never a whole one. Nyx had a thing with intact mirrors because they gave the Beast a face, and there was nothing she hated more than seeing her own reflection mutilated into one to match that horrible voice; the voice that was the last remaining echo of her father's.

The whole business with Voldemort, especially their unheard conversation, and the Beast had ruined Nyx's week, and she was determined to let it stay ruined by locking herself in one of the dungeons since the episode and telling anyone who wanted to talk to her, "you can shout though the door or go the hell away." Jack was the only one who didn't go the hell away, though he failed three times to get her to let him in.

He was now the only living human in the citadel besides his master. All the others had left to go grab their families and friends because of Voldemort. It had been unanimously decided that everyone was infinitely safer under Nyx's wing after the Dark Lord got his ass kicked by her, and everyone wanted their loved ones to be safe as well. The Master agreed to house at least 3 times more people than usual in the beneath-the-mountain dwellings that were rather more like an exceedingly large, fancy hotel than a cave as one would think. Maxu and Sakura, however, got special privileges. Whoever they brought back would be allowed to bunk in the citadel itself because of their high rankings. Jack would have received the same, but Nyx knew all to well that he had no family left, nor any friends. So, Maxu was now on his way to America to round up his friends since he was also without relatives, and Sakura was on her way to Japan to go grab the last living relative she had; her father.

After hearing why she and her father had separated, Nyx wondered what possessed the girl to want to protect him. If she were in Sakura's place, she would do anything she could to make sure her dear old dad was in the path of fast-approaching danger. Nyx just couldn't understand how she could forgive him for doing what he did, and that was likely because of the bad relationship she had with her own father. Her situation had been far worse, in Nyx's opinion, but that didn't change the fact that she believed Sakura should not have been protecting her good-for-nothing, magic-hating Muggle father. And it wasn't that he was a good-for-nothing, magic-hating Muggle that made Nyx think he was dispensable. It was the fact that he had abandoned his own daughter when she had no one else to turn to, just like Nyx's father had done to her.

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Sakura knew this as she stepped slowly up the stairs to her father's Tokyo apartment. She knew her boss didn't want her to, but the girl knew that it was her unwritten duty to care for her last living family member, even if it _was_ her father. She didn't hate him, but she certainly didn't like him. Most of what she felt towards him was resentment. She just couldn't bring herself to loathe him as Nyx suggested she do; it was too against her nature. But that still didn't change the reality of what he did to hurt her, and what made her bravery worth an award as she approached the plain gray door of apartment number 191, home of one Mr. Matsu Hakubo.

It took her an eternity to raise her hand and knock on that door, and it took even longer for the man inside to undo the locks and turn the cold metal knob just enough to pull the door open a sliver. A dark, suspicious eye peered out at her for a moment before widening in shock and the door threw itself open. The man Sakura knew to be her father stood in the doorway, gaping at the daughter he hadn't seen in over a year, dressed in plain blue jeans and a plain brown jacket, underneath which was a plain white shirt, with plain pink-and-white sneakers on her feet. Her eyes were the same deep, chocolate brown of her mother's, and her hair was as black and straight as everyone in their family's had always been. It was hanging down just past her shoulders, and she wore a conservative amount of natural-colored makeup.

Sakura's father hadn't changed much since she last saw him, and what _did_ change could not be considered an improvement. Matsu was not a great deal taller than his daughter, yet he was not as short as she was, and had darker eyes. His once-black hair was now streaked with gray and had begun to recede. The man was thin with a noticeable but not massive potbelly, no thanks to his best friend, sake, and worst enemy, exercise. Sakura almost felt guilty seeing him in such a condition; he apparently hadn't bothered to shave for the past few days, and there were dark circles under his small, dark eyes. His old, wrinkled blue t-shirt with tattered edges, faded gray pants and mismatched socks with holes in the toes gave her the impression that he no longer cared for himself, or that he had been recently unemployed.

For once in she didn't know how long, Matsu seemed to have woken up as he stared at her from the doorway. "…Sh…Shinonkou?"

"Sakura" felt a distinct pain in her chest at the mention of her true, given name, but nevertheless replied in as steady a voice as she could manage, "Hello, dad."

Matsu stared at her for a while more. He seemed to be debating whether he was glad to see her or not. He didn't appear to have reached a conclusion when he asked unemotionally, "How did you find me?"

"Through my current employer," Shinonkou said calmly, clasping her hands together behind her back. "That's also why I'm here…um…" She glanced around her at the hallway full of doors and neighbors going to and fro. "I really shouldn't discuss it out in the hall."

Matsu stepped to the side reluctantly and gestured for her to come in. When the girl entered, she felt a stronger wave of guilt at the state of the place. The apartment was small and cramped, and dark because of the solitary window hidden behind a pile of boxes, stacked on top of a worn wooden chair. The carpeted floor was some kind of gray or maybe light blue, but it was old and mostly covered by furniture or boxes and therefore difficult to tell, and the walls were a plain off-white with noticeable cracks and chipped paint. A round, wooden table fit for perhaps four people sat in a corner near an outdated kitchenette, covered in half-eaten food and what seemed to be hundreds of newspapers with a medley of pens and highlighters spread across them. A cardboard box full of old, ripped magazines rested on the seat of one of the chairs at the table, leaving only one other chair available for seating. The third chair was next to the window, and the fourth was nowhere to be found. A light bulb on a chain hung over the table like a hanged man, casting a hideously harsh, bright light across the cluttered room when Matsu turned it on.

In the opposite corner sat a musty old recliner in front of a small, static-screened TV with rabbit-ear antennas covered in copious amounts of duct tape. The remains of a week's worth of TV dinners sat heaped on a tray next to the recliner. A floor lamp without a bulb stood sadly on the other side of the chair, right beside a mountain of old laundry. Two bookshelves packed with everything from books to small appliances lined one wall, while other various objects and boxes covered another. There were no pictures of any kind to be found, except for those thrown unceremoniously into a particularly ragged box sitting next to the broken radiator.

Matsu stiffly welcomed Shinonkou to sit down in the chair beside the table and asked in a (painfully forced) friendly tone, "Hungry?"

She shook her head honestly; the fly she saw buzzing out of a bag of chips ruined her appetite, but she didn't say so. As her father wandered into what she supposed was the bedroom to fetch another chair, she snuck a glance at the newspapers before her. There was nothing but Want Ads there, with many employment opportunities that had been circled, highlighted, and crossed out with the writing utensils scattered about. The papers dated back months, allowing her to realize that he had let himself go farther than she had feared.

"I was surprised to see you, Shin," Matsu called from the other room, using the nickname her mother gave her when she was little to try to get on her good side. She hadn't been invited and he didn't want her to stay for a long time, but starting off on a bad foot was against his beliefs.

"I was surprised I actually came," she replied less warmly than she intended to.

"You said your employer found me, right?" he added with just a sliver of hope.

Shin glanced at the newspapers and said, "Yes. It wasn't hard. She has a lot of talented spies."

"What exactly do you do for her?" Matsu asked again in an attempt to be conversational. He was back with a metal folding chair that had an uneven leg and wobbled when he sat down on the other side of the table.

"I'm the Master of Communications for her…organization," she answered, staring at her shoes. "I oversee all the correspondence between her mi…the people beneath her." She caught herself when she almost said 'minions.'

Matsu nodded thoughtfully. "What sort of organization is it?"

"Well," Shin responded slowly. "There's this guy that's trying to take over the world –"

"You mean _your_ world?"

"- and he's really evil and mean and cruel, so my ma- _boss_ is trying to stop him so she can, um, kinda do it herself –"

"Oh, just what we need. One of _you_ for world dictator."

"- because she and everyone working for her believes she would do a better job running things than the people in charge now."

"And what about us normal people? What'll happen to us if one of _you_ becomes ruler of the world?"

Shin's fists clenched in her lap convulsively. "Would. You. Stop. Referring. To. Us. Like. That. _Please_."

Matsu leaned back in his chair, making it wobble again. "Or what? You and I both know you'll get in trouble if you try to do anything to me."

"Not necessarily," the girl replied icily. "Thanks for remembering I'm almost 18 and became a legal adult a year ago."

"Maybe to _them_, but not to the rest of us," her father shot back simply as if he had just settled the matter. "Why are you here anyway? And don't tell me you were wondering how I was doing or some bullshit like that."

"I was getting to that," Shin said sharply. "The man my boss is enemies with now has almost 5,000 followers, very few of which can be identified. What that means is nobody knows who's a Death Eater or not –"

"A _what?"_

The teenager took a long, steadying breath before she covered her slip-up. "A Death Eater is what my boss's enemy's followers are called. They run around killing people that he wants to be killed, or random people for what they call 'fun.' Because they know way too much about us, including who works for her and information on their families and friends," which Voldemort had kindly pointed out to her master the day before, "…there's a good chance you're on their target list."

Matsu stared at her for a while, contemplating the truth behind those statements. "And why would they want to attack me if they know we're not exactly close?"

"If I had to guess, I would say to try and weaken me or something. Maybe rile me up so I make a mistake somewhere, I dunno…" she muttered. "It doesn't completely make sense to me, but I still think if you stay here you're in a great deal of danger."

"So where do you propose I go?" Matsu asked like she was a silly little toddler about to suggest that he fly off to the moon. "I am **_not_** picking up and moving again just because some crackpot's goons _might_ come after me. I'm perfectly comfortable here, and I'm on the way to landing myself a very promising job, and I refuse to leave before I even find out if they're interested."

"It won't matter if they're interested if you're dead!" Shin objected angrily. "My boss said that you're welcome to stay at our headquarters for as long as you need to. That's the safest place you could possibly be since her nemesis wouldn't _dare_ try to attack it."

The man threw his daughter a long, calculating look. He finally spoke in a cold, hard voice, "No."

Shin let out an aggravated noise and spat, "What do you mean 'no'? Don't you get it? You will _die_ if you stay here. No sensible person would sacrifice their life for their pride –"

"Well _I_ would," Matsu cut in. "Live with a bunch of freaks like you? _HA!_ Let them come and kill me; I'd rather be dead than lower myself to depending on _you_ to 'protect' me!"

The girl felt a fiery sting in her heart as her eyes began to blur with tears, yet her voice remained surprisingly steady. "I came here only because I forced myself to, dad. No one asked me to or told me to. My boss is being _extremely_ generous in offering you a place to stay under her own roof, especially because you're such a Muggle supremacist, and she usually incinerates people like that in a heartbeat. But she made an exception for you because you're _my _father, and even though _she_ _personally_ thinks you aren't worth it, **_I'm_** trying to save your life. You could at least throw some gratitude in with the insults!"

Matsu pondered Shin again as she started crying in vexation, but without removing her fierce stare from his eyes. "I won't pretend to be grateful if you're going to pretend to care," he said cruelly.

"_I **don't **care!"_ she shrieked hysterically, slamming her fists on the table as she rose to her feet and sending a few pens on it to the floor. "I _hope_ they come to kill you just because you didn't listen to me! You _deserve_ it!"

"If you don't care then why'd you come here, trying to 'save' me?" Matsu demanded, rising to his feet as well.

"_Because mom would have done the same!"_

There it was. The source of all the pain in Shin's life, the enmity between her and her father, and the reason she joined Nyx; Kaiyou Hakubo, her late mother, who had been dead since Shin and Matsu last spoke. She was a pure-blooded witch, and a very talented and dedicated-to-her-work witch at that. She became an Auror for the ministry as soon as her schooling was finished and was soon well known for her talents; not only was she startlingly beautiful and frequently called "the kindest woman I've ever met," but she could speak 4 languages fluently and had a particular gift for multitasking and so made an excellent supervisor.

Kaiyou grew up in Japan and began her career there, but at the age of 24 was transferred to London to work at the Ministry headquarters there. But this was not before she met and married Matsu, and failed to tell him she was a witch. According to the poor oblivious man, she worked for a worldwide delivery company as an International Correspondent, and her transferal was the equivalent of a promotion, so Matsu had no problem uprooting the new family for a job she loved dearly. He loved his wife more than he could say, and he was willing to change for her and only her. Within a year of the marriage, Shinonkou was born, and for eleven years her father remained in the dark about his wife's secret.

The cat leapt out of the bag and clawed Matsu's face off in the form of a latter addressed to Shin from some weird school he'd never heard of. It arrived in the talons of an owl on her eleventh birthday, provoking a whirlwind of questions from the Muggle. When Kaiyou got home that day from her trip to buy the little girl's birthday cake, she all but screamed and dropped it on the floor when her husband appeared before her with a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in his hand. When he asked her if she thought it was some kind of prank, she had no choice but to tell him the truth.

Needless to say, Matsu did not like the news that the wife and daughter he loved so dearly were freaks, and he let them know. Often.

It seemed as thought he had been replaced overnight. The once accepting, rather gentle Matsu was now cruel, suspicious and biased. He was furious about being lied to for so long, and even more so when Kaiyou admitted that if it hadn't been for the Hogwarts letter she wouldn't have _ever_ told him if she could help it. She only did it because she knew he wouldn't like it one bit, but she loved him very much and didn't want to lose him. Matsu didn't care. He would have preferred Shin and her mother to be dead than the weirdoes they were, and it was even worse that he was expected to send his daughter to some school to teach her to be even weirder. But, there was nothing he could do to stop her from attending, and she did just that for the next 5 years.

But it was the summer before she would begin her 6th year when the world came crashing down around her. Kaiyou had been murdered by a Death Eater while on the job, and the family was devastated. Shin showed this with an ocean of tears. Matsu showed this by finally losing it and abandoning his freak of a daughter, moving back to Japan and settling in an unknown city, or village, or town, or wherever it was he went. He blamed the whole Magical world for taking his wife from him and by cutting ties with his daughter he isolated himself from it. If she had been normal like him, she would have been alive.

But she wasn't, and now she was dead. From that day onward, Matsu despised everything to do with magic, even if that included his own flesh and blood. He couldn't stand to even look at Shin anymore. She was like a smaller clone of her mother; she had her beauty, her boundlessly kind heart, and her many talents – her magical abilities included.

But it was because of the likeness she shared with her mother that Shin was now facing her father after over a year of less than one word spoken. It was the glaring weakness they both shared; Shin and Kaiyou were both too kind. Neither of them could have really hated Matsu for what he believed, and neither of them could have just let him die when they could do something to save him. While she was alive, Kaiyou was convinced that someday her husband would change back into the man she fell in love with and accept them for who they were, freak or not. Shin had a nagging feeling that if only she could make him listen to her advice, Matsu _would_ change. He would have to swallow his pride first, and that was as likely to happen as Nyx sending Voldemort flowers "just because," but she was certain he could do it if she helped him along the way.

But Matsu hated change. He only agreed to move because he loved Kaiyou so much, but since his return to Japan he hadn't left that apartment, no matter how much he grew to detest its stiff carpet, lousy insulation, outrageous rent, and bland walls. He never even finished unpacking, and when the boxes had sat there long enough he decided he preferred them like that and didn't touch them. It was no surprise that he took his wife's news poorly because of how it turned his life upside-down without welcome. He wasn't able to get over it, and that only made his hatred of magic even stronger. No, even if his life was in grave danger, he would not restart it again.

Both of them knew this as they glared at each other across the table with the newspapers scattered all over. Matsu was at a loss for words; since it happened, he had never really spoken about Kaiyou, and now it felt almost too soon to bring her into a conversation. Shin thought otherwise.

"Mom loved you!" she cried bitterly. "Even though you were such a bastard to her, calling her names and acting like you wished she was dead all the time, she still loved you! And if she were here right now, she would be doing the same thing I am!"

Her father took his time answering. "…are you trying to tell me that you love me after all this?"

"_NO!_ I _hate_ you! How could I love you after you threw me away like a sick puppy you didn't feel like taking care of? I loved you once, but once was before you found out I was a _freak_!" she screamed. "I'm only doing this for mom, _not_ for you! She would have wanted me to, so I'm doing it! If you don't want to listen to me, then _fine_! But I hope when you get killed you get to see her in the afterlife, and I hope you have to beg on your knees for forgiveness from her! And I hope she doesn't give it to you either because _you don't fucking deserve it!"_

Matsu stared at the young woman before him, panting and shedding bitter tears through reddened eyes. Her pretty face was red and blotchy, and several hairs were out of place. He had never seen her this upset before in his life, and never knew her to curse to strongly at anyone, probably because he had done his best to stay as far out of _her_ life as possible. But he felt no remorse and simply stared at her in cold silence.

Shin glared back through defiant brown eyes, daring him to be a fool and say "no" again. There they stood for an age, until the girl lost the battle and stormed out of the room in a fresh flood of tears, slamming the gray door behind her so hard it was a wonder it stayed on the hinges. Stomping down the hall past curious eyes and laughing children, Shin felt like she'd been ripped in half and squeezed until she couldn't breathe. It wasn't her fault that he wouldn't listen, so he deserved whatever was coming to him. But, he was still her father and she still believed somewhere in the very heart of her that he could change. The memory of her mother urged her to go back into that sad little apartment and drag him out if she had to…but her other half wouldn't allow it. If someone came to do him harm, he would be forced to see the error of his ways and would have to listen to her.

…_if_ he survived whatever the Death Eaters set out to do.

For an hour, Shin waited in a nearby park, straining her mind to decide what to do next. The only obvious options were to go back and try again with her father, or to go back home and ask Lord Psycho what to do. The park didn't help her mood; it was cramped and ancient, cluttered with rusting swing sets and overgrown shrubs. Sickly trees cast leafless shadows on the scrubby, sparse grass and the broken bottles and forgotten toys hidden in the rough gravel. It reminded her of the apartment her father had been cooped up in for the past year, rotting away in his hatred of her and the world of freaks she represented.

Matsu sat back down at the lonely table for four, thinking Shin a fool for barging back into his life so rudely and trying to make him change. She was certainly overreacting about this "crazy evil man" she spoke of, and that he would waste his time hunting down a great Muggle like Matsu. He was anything but a threat to this man, so there was no reason for him to die. And to weaken Shin? That was absolutely absurd. She clearly didn't care about him at all, and would probably be _glad_ if he snuffed it. After all, it would mean complete and total freedom for her and absolve her from any duty to him when he was old and couldn't care for himself.

But Shin just couldn't make herself hate him. A faint memory of times long gone when the small family would go to parks and playgrounds, watch movies together, go out to eat, and just be together was poking at her brain. She didn't allow herself the pleasure of thinking that things could ever go back to the way they were when she was a little girl, but the memories of her and her father riding bikes, playing board games and reading books together seemed almost tangible.

If her father died, those memories would die with him. If her father died, a man who was once a loving, gentle, good-hearted person would lose his chance at redemption with the only family he had left. Shin couldn't let that happen to him, and with a new resolve, she rose from her seat on the rickety old bench with peeling green paint and apparated to the citadel.

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Nyx heard a quiet knock on the heavy wooden door cutting her off from the world so that she could be miserable in privacy.

"What do you want?" she asked sharply.

"Lord Psycho?" a soft voice answered. "I need to talk to you."

Nyx bit her lip and cringed. _So she's back with her damnable father already. That didn't take as long as I would have liked. Just my luck… _"…the door's unlocked."

After a twitch of her master's fingers, Shin crept into the room, followed by no one. Nyx stared curiously at this from the stool she sat upon with her arms resting on the table before her. This was one of her several laboratories; a dark, silent room with a cathedral-like ceiling and stone walls lined with shelves and cupboards filled with any and every ingredient used in any and every potion known to wizardkind. In a large cauldron before the woman in plain black robes was a potion that looked like tar, bubbled slowly like tar, and reeked like tar. A variety of materials used to create this unsightly concoction were spread over the wooden surface in a careless manner, but Shin could see no instructions for Nyx to go by.

The woman sat up a bit straighter and asked in all seriousness, "Where's daddy?"

"He refused to come with me," the girl said. She still appeared as she had before Matsu, and the same as when she first met Nyx, except with faintly reddened eyes. "He's too proud, and too resentful. The whole thing went straight down the shitter."

"Tell me about it," the Dark Lord requested with a piqued interest at her unusual swearing, turning to a little box full of what looked like sand. As Shin began her uneventful tale, Nyx continued working at her potion as if the girl wasn't even there, sprinkling the sand-like stuff into the cauldron and turning the tar-like stuff vivid orange. When Shin reached the part where she screamed "Because mom would have done the same" at him, the woman recalled exactly why she had recruited her so easily.

Kaiyou had only died because she was working outside of her department and expertise, and because she was sent with only a rookie as backup. The pair was sent to investigate some supposed Death Eater activity even though the report was widely believed to have been less than credible, and it was because of that that the Ministry sent only the two of them. Kaiyou was sent because they were short on hands and believed to be competent enough to do the job, even if there was nothing to really do. But she found out the tip-off was anything but a prank when the rookie was taken down by an Avada Kedavra from a hidden Death Eater's wand, and when the Auror turned to wonder where it came from, another killing curse hit her from behind.

Shin was convinced that it was the Ministry that killed her mother by sending her out into unfamiliar territory with a not-even-fully-trained Auror as a partner. She didn't forgive the Death Eaters any more than the Ministry, but she hated the latter far more. The teenage girl wearing filthy clothes and living amongst homeless Muggles accepted Nyx's philosophy and offer in a heartbeat on a cold, foggy night in a forgotten corner of London, where she had landed after being cast away by her dear, loving father.

When Shin was done with her story, and beginning to cry a little again, Nyx gave the potion a final counterclockwise stir, turning it from deepest plum to pale and somewhat transparent with a mother-of-pearl sheen. The woman spoke as steam began to rise in spirals off the potion's surface. "I'm not surprised. People like your father tend to behave like that all the time if they've ever done it once. But I must say I think you handled yourself rather poorly."

"What did you expect from me?" Shin blurted in a wounded voice.

"I never said I blamed you for it," Nyx retorted, gazing at her calmly through the spiraling steam. "I was just saying that I think you could've kept a better control over your emotions, if you weren't who you are. And I'm not criticizing you for that. In fact, you ought to be praised for it. Not many people could do what you did so easily."

"I still couldn't get him to come here, though…" she murmured.

"That doesn't matter. The fact that you went there in the first place without being asked or told is quite admirable, even though you lost it pretty easily," her master continued with a small smile. "If I were you and your father were mine…well, let me just say the meeting wouldn't have gone as well as yours."

"But it _didn't_ go well," Shin objected, confused.

"Precisely." Nyx took a moment to briefly inspect her potion before adding, "I suppose you'd like me to try and make up some kind of brilliant plan to get him here, or let him stay where he is safely."

"Yes, please."

The woman extinguished the little fire beneath the cauldron and with a lazy wave of her hand sent the unused ingredients back to their shelves. With another wave, a flock of bottles flew over from the cupboard and landed beside her hand resting on the table.

"I'll need a few days to think," Nyx said as she enchanted the bottles to fill themselves. "Until then, you can rest assured that no one will be coming for dear old dad because I'm going to have several spies monitoring him. If anyone tries anything, they'll be there to guard him."

Shin finally smiled and thanked her sincerely. "But whatever you do, don't force him to come here against his will. He'll be a complete pain in the ass; you won't hear anything but complaints and insults."

"I think my ass is pretty impervious to pain by now, thanks," Nyx replied, smirking. "I'll keep it in mind anyway, though."

As Shin was about to add another remark about her father, a loud knock was heard at the door. "Let me in," Jack's anxious voice shouted from the other side.

"What for?" Nyx shouted back.

"I have good news."

"You just saved a bunch of money on your car insurance by switching to Geico?"

"…what?"

"Nothing. Come in."

Jack walked in with a rather pleased look on his face…which he abruptly dashed back into the hall to cover when he saw another human being in the room. When he returned, he noticed that the girl sitting across a table from Nyx looked strangely familiar, but he couldn't remember where he'd seen her before.

"Well, I'll be going now," she said, indirectly informing Jack that she was Sakura. "Thanks, Lord Psycho."

The master gave her a nod and a wave as she pranced out of the room without a second glance at Jack, who was now very confused as to why she looked so different. Nyx turned to him and asked a bit impatiently when he didn't speak, "Well?"

"We just got an email from Commander Howard of the Efethute division," he said. "You know, 'Operation Baby Seal.'"

"Yes, and what did it say?" she demanded with a hint of excitement.

"He thinks they've reached what you've been looking for." Jack replied with a small grin. "He said something about there being a sort of room with a big, weird door, all made out of ice. They couldn't get through it with magic, and they didn't want to damage anything, so they left it alone. They're ready for you whenever you want to go down and check it out."

A wide smile broke out across the woman's face, one of genuine elation. "Excellent."

With a final wave of her pale hand, the cauldron floated back to its place and the bottles labeled themselves in her handwriting. They all scurried off into a storage case, except for one that Nyx kept in her hand. She removed the stopper and waved it under her nose, breathing deeply. The woman sighed peacefully as she replaced the stopper, and said before Jack could ask for an explanation of her odd behavior, "Amortentia always helps my mood."

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Commander Howard heard a loud bang and a few shouts of "she's here!" and knew that his master had arrived. The tall, tan man turned to look across the blinding white, frozen wasteland to see two figures that looked rather like well-fed bears in their long, black parkas approaching the tent he was standing in. That tent was like the control room in the citadel in that it was the base of their operations, and that it contained a massive control board for the bright-red-parka-wearing Pigeons on duty – the same ones who were often called "Roudolphs" because of the parkas. In the unbearable cold of the Arctic, the uniforms were a bit different than those in warmer climates. Rank was denoted by the color of your parka and the color of the fur around the edges of that parka, as well as the normal uniform worn underneath it although it was rarely seen.

Howard, in his silver parka with white fur, went out to meet his boss, bowing respectfully. The other person with the black scarf wrapped around his face and his hood up was undoubtedly Evil Minion, who received a rather less respectful nod. "This way, please," he said in his distinct Australian accent, gesturing to the control tent.

"Just take me to the door," Nyx ordered simply. "I want to go get what's behind it more than go see what your radars _think_ is there."

Howard looked a little surprised, but promptly switched gears and headed the other way as he said, "Right. We've got a portkey set up because it takes so damn long to get down there otherwise."

The trio trudged across the shallow snow, feeling their feet hit solid ice underneath. Jack was the only one who was a bit unnerved by walking across a glacier that they'd been carving up for the past several months. He sincerely hoped he didn't get to see what happens when a large part of it collapses, especially if he was two miles beneath it at the time.

They soon reached the little outpost of huts and tents where the members of the division had been slaving away on the ice. Those men and women were all standing at attention and grinning as their master approached, exceedingly proud of their accomplishment. The project had been completed at least a month sooner than expected because a massive part of the ice had collapsed into itself, making it easy to remove and giving them a clear dig to the 'room' and the door below. Nyx all but ignored them in favor of a gaping void in the whiteness about 30 feet in diameter, leading straight down to the bottom of the glacier. A pole with a red-and-black flag hanging limply in the nonexistent breeze was jammed into a sturdy patch of ice near the edge of the tunnel.

"This here's the portkey," The commander said, jabbing his thumb at the flag on the pole. "When you stop spinning, you'll be smack in front of that door. So, how many you want with you?"

"None," Nyx said, gazing down into the dark blue abyss distractedly.

"…You sure 'bout that?" Howard asked uneasily, raising a brown eyebrow at her.

"Yes," she replied distantly. "I know what I'm doing."

Jack was eyeing her with curiosity and a bit of hurt. Why had she bothered to bring him if he wasn't going to go with her? "Does that include me?"

"No. I need you to help me bring the stuff up," Nyx explained patiently, still not removing her eyes from the hole. "I could probably do it myself, but I don't want to have to make two trips."

The underling felt much better at this; she could have just asked for somebody from the division to help her, but she chose him instead. He tried not to make this out to be anything it wasn't, but Jack couldn't help but look forward to being completely, absolutely alone with her. Today, he was an optimist.

Nyx had no such thoughts as she laid a black-gloved hand on the pole and Jack did the same. After an uncomfortable teleportation, the pair landed in a rather small chamber, easily 100 degrees colder than the surface. There was no real shape to the carved-ice room, probably because it had been altered slightly by the earlier cave-in. The floor beneath them was intentionally flat, with no markings or anything unusual disrupting it's uniformity. The famous door rested in the wall before them, carved magnificently out of the ice and lit up by two eerie blue flames hovering in midair on either side. The door was square-ish and decorated with carvings of various monsters, all of which were glaring at them threateningly. Around all sides of the door but the bottom was what looked like a serpent made of ice, holding the door to the walls of the chamber like a lock.

Jack simply gaped as he shivered uncontrollably and Nyx approached the door quite calmly. She glanced all around at the massive thing, thinking carefully, until her second-in-command broke the silence. "How long do you think it's been since someone was down here?"

"Longer than your whole family's been around, probably," she said shortly.

Jack hesitated before he asked his next question in case he was annoying her. "So…how are you going to get it open?"

"Say the password, of course," Nyx said with a grin, glancing over her shoulder at him. As he wondered how she could know the password to open the door when clearly no one had been down there for ages, the woman raised her right hand and rested her bare palm on the ice. Before he could ask if she was crazy because her hand would be frozen solid in a moment, her voice rang out in the room of ice hauntingly:

"_Saj va ufzuka."_

A soft hissing noise came from the blue fire as the flames extended themselves into long tendrils, twisting and reaching towards Nyx's hand. When the fire contacted her skin, it flashed into green light and wrapped around her fingers and up her wrist. A spiderweb of tiny cracks erupted from beneath her hand and spread across the door at an alarming rate. All the cracks reached the snake at the same moment, shattering it into millions of clear crystals and sending the rest of the door crashing to the floor in just as many pieces. The flames shot back to their posts, still shedding an even creepier emerald light onto the reflective walls.

Nyx felt no remorse for having broken the magnificent door as she levitated the rubble off to another part of the space where it wouldn't be in her way. Through the newly opened doorway was what one could assume to be a hallway, still made entirely of ice. The woman peered in, ignoring her exposed hand that was miraculously not turning blue, before digging her wand out of the parka and flicking it at one of the green orbs of flame. It snapped to attention and shot to the tip of her wand, following it when she waved it around experimentally. Sending the flame a bit ahead of her, she took a few steps into the hallway, inspecting the surroundings for anything that caught her eye.

Jack watched her with bated breath. She certainly wasn't kidding when she said she knew what she was doing. Rubbing his arms so they would warm up even under the multiple layers of clothing, he started after her before the light went too far ahead.

"Stop," Nyx commanded abruptly. He did before he even passed beneath the doorway. "I want you to stay there until I need you."

"But –" he protested, again feeling very slighted.

"I need to make sure no one got here before we did," she sighed irritably without looking at him. "and that there's nothing here that shouldn't be, or isn't here at all."

What could he say? _Not much._ Jack backed up submissively and started pacing around the room restlessly as he beat his arms against his sides to keep them in working order. _I hope I don't freeze before she gets back._

Nyx couldn't even feel the cold as she walked briskly down the long, frozen hall towards her goal: the most precious treasure she could lay her hands on. She knew that she couldn't utilize it right away, but eventually she would, and that day would be the happiest of her life. As the green flame hovered in front of her, it cast it's light on the walls as they began to change from pure ice to stone glazed with ice. In half a moment, Nyx was standing at the top of hundreds of stone steps in the heart of the glacier. A rush of excitement welled up inside of her as she twitched her wand at the flame and it exploded into millions of glowing lights, scattering themselves across the massive chamber she now stood in and illuminating it with the eerie green light.

It was a giant graveyard. The entire floor was made up of thousands of rectangular stone coffins with names and dates carved into their lids. From wall to wall, there were nothing but bodies in boxes, save for a few that were missing because they had never been there in the first place, exposing the ice below. The walls were of stone almost identical to the floor, except carved into and painted on them were at least 50 family trees, all interlinked with each other, and all spurned from one excessively elaborate and ancient one on the wall opposite Nyx at the very back of the room. Beneath it was an altar of sorts where nine stone coffins rested above ground.

Nyx leapt down the steps with a rush of adrenaline and sped over the graves with no respect for those beneath, straight to that altar. She cleared the steps in a single jump and stopped the moment both feet were back on the ground. She stood there staring at the caskets with a mix of elation and fear. Stepping over to the small one at the far left carefully and quietly, Nyx read the inscription and felt a twinge of guilt. The male occupant had died at only 6 years of age, although it had been hundreds of years ago. She only recognized the name when she thought very hard about it. The one next to it held a man who lived to be 41, whom she had a bit of an easier time remembering, although it didn't come quickly by any means. The one beside that held their mother, who Nyx recalled instantly with a cringe of disapproval and disgust. She died two years after her 6-year-old at the age of 31.

Nyx felt a pleasant yet painful squirm in her stomach when she saw the next coffin. She ran her fingers over the name affectionately: "Vincent." According to the inscription beneath it, he lived to a healthy 115. Nyx smiled at this because he was the only one whose tomb she'd seen thus far that had deserved to live a long life. His two younger brothers had given her no reason to wish ill on them, but considering for how short a time she knew them they never became as close with her as Vincent had – especially since the youngest was only a year old the last time she saw him. The middle son was only four years older, and Vincent was 10; 8 years younger than Nyx.

_I can't believe it's been so long since I last saw you, little brother…_ she thought as bittersweet memories came back to her. _You were always so kind to me…even after everything that happened, you stuck by my side like the little leech you were. You were the only one who didn't want to treat me like some wild animal that couldn't be tamed. I wish I had been there to see you grow up. I've regretted missing it every day of my life, you know. But…I wonder…_

Nyx eyed the next coffin in line – the one right in the middle of the altar, the center of attention – with nothing less than the purest loathing. She took a few steps towards it and resisted the urge to run her fingers over the hard, cold surface to see if it reminded her of the occupant within. Her eyes steeled as they traced the letters that spelled out her father's name, date of birth, and date of death. He was 96 when he received what he stole from her fifty years prior; death.

Nyx glanced back at Vincent's coffin and said aloud, "I hope for everyone's sake you didn't turn out like _him_." She spat on her father's name and moved on to the next stone box, but not before adding a swift kick to the already desecrated grave; her toes agreed that the pain was a small price to pay for it's therapeutic effect.

As she looked upon the coffin of her mother, Nyx felt another jolt of sadness pain her. Her poor mother lay in that cold prison because of her dear husband…or at least Nyx was convinced it was his fault she died prematurely. Even if she could have proven it, no one would have taken _her_ word for it, and that was a whole different issue unto itself. Nyx was working herself up thinking about it even so vaguely, so she drove it from her mind. Instead, she gave herself even more sadness at remembering how much her mother had missed of her life.

"If you had been there, things would have been different…" she muttered to the letters that represented her mother. "You would have cared for me no matter what…and you _definitely_ wouldn't have let him –"

Nyx's eye had just caught the next coffin in line. From the distance before, she couldn't have hoped to read it. Now that she could see what was carved into the stone clear as day, she wanted to be sick:

"O.V.A.L.S."

They didn't even have the decency to carve out her full name, the bastards. And they had apparently skipped little trivialities like the day she was born, or even the day she was declared dead. That was probably because they didn't have a body to put in there…or at least she hoped they didn't. At the very thought of someone else resting in her grave, Nyx felt a horrible sensation creep up her back and gnaw at her neck. Not caring who heard it, she lifted the lid off the coffin and let it fall to the floor with a deafening bang. It put her mind at ease to see that there wasn't an imposter there, but it troubled her far more to see that the bottom was covered in an imperfection-less mirror. It only took a moment for her own reflection to start changing into the Beast's before she turned her face away and replaced the heavy lid, feeling even worse.

Out of a sort of morbid curiosity, Nyx peered over at the tiniest coffin in the whole colossal room, situated on the far right. The woman almost cried when she saw the name: "Unknown." That was an absolute insult to the baby girl resting in her final cradle, the baby girl who died two days after birth, the baby girl who was Nyx's little sister.

Infuriated, she turned back to her three half-brothers, stepmother, father and real mother, and with a forceful wave of her wand the inscriptions on the coffins vanished. She had not come in here alone because she wanted to make sure everything was in place. She just didn't want Jack to witness her family reunion, or start asking too many questions about anything…_incriminating_ he could see. That was the absolute last thing she needed.

After stowing her wand away in a pocket, she pointed a hand at Vincent's and her mother's remains, and as she slowly lifted her arms the stone caskets rose off the ground as well. Carefully, Nyx turned around so that the only two relatives she actually liked were hovering steadily above their descendants. With a careless jerk of her head, her father's coffin dragged across the floor after her as she began down the steps. A horribly threatening, ghostly moaning noise emitted from nowhere as the stone grave hit step after step after step, making an awful din.

"Don't you even start with me," Nyx said loudly in her best, Lord-Psycho-esque 'don't fuck with me' tone. "You're _damn_ lucky I'm bringing you out at all, and you'll be even luckier if I don't decide to frickin' nuke you once we get above ground, so keep your goddamn dead mouth shut."

The groaning subsided quickly, to Nyx's immense pleasure. That was the first time her father had ever done what she wanted him to, and it felt _very_ good. Perhaps bringing him back to life wasn't such a questionable idea after all.

--- to be continued in Chapter 20 : Lord Psycho and the Holy Grail ---

**Disclaimer: **Own not, claim not, sue not. (Only applies to Voldy, Death Eaters, and...some of Nyx's relatives...-won't say which-)

**A/N:** Okay, before I hear a single word about "why the hell did you take so long," I need to tell you what happened last Friday when I got home. When I went to turn the computer on to work on this, I saw that my dad had left a sticky note on the power button saying "Broken - Don't use" and I seriously almost shit my pants. It got worse when I saw the TigerDirect (computer parts store) catalogue sitting on the desk and opened to the hard drive page.

My first thought: "HOLY SHIT THE HARD DRIVE **_DIED!_** I JUST FUCKING LOST **_EVERYTHING_**! _AAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!"_

So I went up to my room and panicked for an hour until my dad came home and explained that the reason the computer wouldn't work was because it said the video card wasn't receiving power, and the hard drive was fine. So he went to go try to fix it, and expected an error to come up when he turned it on...but wait! Why is Windows starting up normally? What about the 'no power to the video card' thing?

There was no problem. Not. One. Problem.

So, we spent the next three hours backing up every damn thing on the computer in case something like this ever happens again, and copying it to the other computer. Now before you yell at me and say "wtf you have a second computer? Why didn't you use that one?" The computers share only certain files saved in certain places, therefore you can only access certain areas of one computer from the other. Chapter 19 was nowhere to be found.

So now the computer's basically fine, and I am now convinced that it's possessed and just likes fucking around with us.

And **THAT** is why I couldn't do anything on Friday and therefore needed an extra day to finish it. Just so you know, I typed about a whole third of this just today - note that it's over 9000 words long - so I really busted my ass to finish it. I would apologize, but this was out of my control entirely. Blame my goddamn computer. -it crashes on her- YOUSONOFABITCH! -beats the hell out of it- -gets electrocuted at some point- -death- -reincarnation- Hi I'm back.

**Name Explanations:** I'm really going nuts with making names symbolic in this fic, but it won't do me any good if I don't explain them.

"Matsu" is "pine tree" in Japanese, and "Hakubo" is "dusk, twilight, or nightfall." "Shinonkou" means "gentle heart" (more or less) and "Kaiyou" is "forgiveness." Shinonkou is just describing the character's...attributes? Kaiyou is a) cool and b) foreshadowing.

Shin chose to rename herself when she started working for Nyx mostly due to repressed emotions and such (courtesy of Matsu). "Sakura" means "cherry tree/blossom" and "Hikaru" is "to shine, to glitter, or to be bright." A cherry tree is beautiful, flowering and delicate (I guess...), while a pine tree is dark, pointy, sturdy (a.k.a. STUBBORN), and generally not thought to be eye-pleasing. For last names, dusk/twilight/nightfall is anything but shiny/glittery/bright. (Not to mention Sakura's pretty shiny/glittery/bright.)

Vincent is explained below.

**General Notes:** Hopefully the Beast stuff isn't confusing. I tried to explain it pretty clearly without giving everything away, but if anybody's lost tell me and I'll elaborate. -cough- And, yeah, I pretty much just told you what's gonna happen. That doesn't mean it'll end that way though - like, with Nyx just dying. Not saying I _absolutely_ won't do it, but keep it all in mind for later chapters where stuff like this comes up again. (And it will.)

I had a ton of fun doing the description of Matsu's apartment because that's the first time in a while I've gone to town with descriptiveness. I hope it was good and you can picture it well. (It's not super super important but it's obviously meaningful.) Also, remember last chapter when I said I might be introducing a really sweet character? I wasn't referring to Matsu, so don't worry. The cool guy will be in the next chapter or I won't have a next chapter. ...actually Matsu's one of those from-bad-to-good characters, so he might end up being cool after all. I plan to make him at least more likeable later, but we'll see about cool...

I absolutely couldn't resist doing the Geico line. For those who laughed, good for you. For those who didn't...shutup.

"Saj va ufzuka" (SAAHJ VAH OOV-zoo-kah) means "let me inside." I am so freakin creative it ain't funny. And I personally think the idea of the coffins making up the floor is one of the freakiest things ever. I wouldn't be able to walk on them, not for a million bucks. -has a morbid fear of zombies and dead people-

Okay...Vincent. I swear to god, I spent an hour and a half today looking up names for this guy because I keep picking one and then deciding I don't like it that much, and then repeating that 50 times. I wanted it to have a good/cool/symbolic meaning, but that didn't work. Then I wanted to have it start with a specific letter, and that didn't work. I kept finding okay names, but no really good ones, and that made me very sad. So I just went with Vincent because that was a legitimate name from the time period he lived in and I've always liked it anyway. It's also a tribute to Vincent Valentine from Final Fantasy XII because I am a dorky fangirl and I don't care who knows it. -drools all over the folder of Vincent pictures on the compy- -is happier than words can describe-

...speaking of which, I'll give you a little spoiler concerning "O.V.A.L.S." The 'V' stands for 'Valentina', also because of Vincent. ...and because I didn't like any other V-names out there that would have been in existence around then...

Also, Nyx calls Vincent her "little brother" even though he's only her half-brother because she absolutely loves him and considers him a full-blood-relative regardless of obvious proof otherwise. She doesn't do this with her other half-brothers because she never cared about them. (Hence why she doesn't even remember their names...put some ice on _that_ one, guys...)

Isn't it weird how I called this "The Tomb of Ice" even though that part takes up only 1/3 of the chapter? ...god, I have **no** foresight whatsoever...

**Preview: **If you don't like Monty Python and the Holy Grail, you're just plain out of luck for, like, half the chapter. If you love it as much as I do...you can have a coconut. And a swallow too, for that matter. (But please specify whether you want African or European.) Like I said, awesome major character coming up, and Annabella makes a reappearance for a much longer time in order to mess with her brother and try to hook him up with Nyx. Add some Amortentia and what do you get? ...FLUFFY GOODNESS! HOORAY!

...except if I get carried away with the Python jokes I might have to save the fluff for 21. But it will come eventually, so don't worry, Fluffernutters. (Yeah, that's what I call people who love fluff. I am such a loser.) (...or maybe it's just because it's 12:30 at night and I can't think right.) (...d00d. I rhymed. -gigglesnort-)

**Final Words: **Amazingly I don't think I have anything to say this time. -shrugs-

**

* * *

**

**Hiya: **I'm glad you enjoyed the Chickens. -gives you cookies for getting the actors thing- And I absolutely agree with you on the Dumbledore and Tom actor thing. Some other characters are very close to what I imagine, but _they're_ definitely in the top ten. And don't worry about Christian Coulson rants around me; I was just sitting there nodding and smiling enthusiastically when I read what you wrote because I completely agree! (Also the Orlando Bloom thing...he's cool but not THAT cool...) And I'm glad you like Louis' attitude problem. He's probably the only living thing that ever called Voldemort a biotch and lived to tell about it...or just called him a biotch in the first place. And, yeah, that's wierd that we made him laugh at both of our characters for the 'mommy' thing...hmmmmm...

And don't start with me on the Harry/Draco. All I see is Snape/Lupin. And please note that yousaid "pretty please **with Snape on top**." ...-weeps- I'm being mind-raped by these authors, and I haven't even read any of thier stories! NOT COOL, PEOPLE. _NOT_ COOL.

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

--- **k**avi-**s**ama ---


	20. Chap 20: Lord Psycho and the Holy Grail

Chapter 20 – Lord Psycho and the Holy Grail

Rumors were flying around the citadel like Alfred Hitchcock's Birds. Ever since word had spread that Lord Psycho had finally gotten what she sought beneath the ice, her minions had started betting on what it was she would bring back with her - or in the case of those in the Efethute division, what lay behind the door. The most popular bet was on an ancient monster preserved in the ice for hundreds of years that only she could control, and that could easily wipe out anyone or anything that opposed her. Maxu was the obvious leader in this bet. Jack hadn't gotten involved because he quite frankly thought they were all being stupid, but if he had to put money on anything he would have gone with his original guess; a weapon of some kind that would easily get rid of _some_one she didn't care for. Sakura also failed to participate because she had better things to spend her money on, but she secretly agreed with everyone that guessed the treasure was more along the lines of a mountain of galleons.

Generally, everyone who saw the plain stone 'chests' was very disappointed. There was nothing special, unique, or eye-catching about them at all, and Nyx absolutely refused to let anyone even think about peeking inside one. To make sure the bodies of her relatives were left undisturbed, she placed a spell on them in the form of fiery ropes tying the lids down that would lash out at anyone who came too close. One unlucky minion had never heard the phrase "curiosity killed the cat" and although he didn't die, he couldn't sit down for quite a while.

When Nyx heard about these bets, she couldn't help but laugh at the really outrageous ones ("Why the hell would I want an enchanted toothbrush?"), although some wouldn't _ever_ be funny. ("_Who_ says I was looking for an anti-wrinkle potion? I haven't got any wrinkles, dammit!") She still refused to give any hints, though, and therefore all bets were suspended until they found out what was inside the boring boxes.

Maxu's guess was the closest, in a sense. Vincent and her mother weren't exactly monsters (she couldn't say the same for her father), but the ice had successfully preserved them so that they looked like they'd only been dead for a little while instead of hundreds of years. The one who designed the frozen crypt had had resurrection in mind when he or she designed it; the bodies never deteriorated because the temperature was too low and it was too dry for decay to properly set in, so they really only looked like they were asleep. And because the bodies were still generally intact, they were, theoretically, eligible for resurrecting.

Nyx had done her homework on the subject for the past 15 years. It was most commonly believed that in order to bring someone back from the dead, one needed to have an uncorrupted body – preferably that of the dead person's – and a means by which to channel their spirit back into the body. The body needed to be "liveable" in the sense that if the person were truly brought back they would be able to survive in that body. The body was 'corrupted' if it had deteriorated or was not in one piece. In many cases, this prevented a lot of resurrections because people like Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington had been beheaded, or burned, or eaten by something, or any number of things that destroyed the victim's shell. Even if his body had been preserved this long, it would have been impossible to bring him back to life because one cannot survive for very long if one's head is not properly attached.

It sounded fairly simple in principle but was far from it in practice, as many things were. Many witches and wizards had tried and failed at it, not counting the man who 'invented' Inferi in one of his experiments, or Voldemort who was not really brought back in the sense that Nyx and many others considered _true_ resurrection. He had only received a new body, not returned to his old one.

Nyx was understandably confident that she would be able to pull off a successful resurrection eventually, especially since it had been clearly and indisputably documented that more than one SM had done so in the past. How they had done it, no one was sure, but many witnesses had given their accounts of seeing people declared dead years before inexplicably pop out of the ground and walk and talk like a normal, non-zombified person.

The Beast agreed with her reasoning, but insisted that it could only happen if she gave him more control over "their" body in return for the knowledge and power she would need for it to go well. That was out of the question; Nyx didn't need him to cause more trouble for her than he already did, and that was a guarantee if she let him take over even a little bit more. It was bad enough that she was having more and more difficulty shutting him out when he felt like driving her up the wall. She didn't need to give him the power to possess her at will and make her do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, to whomever he wanted. She would become a puppet if she gave him another inch, and that was out of the question.

Nyx accepted that she would need to do this the hard way by experimenting in ways her predecessors hadn't dared to. She had gotten plenty of ideas from a certain Muggle woman's book about a man called Frankenstein who 'created' life, but the process of constructing a body out of corpses and making a whole new being wasn't her goal. Still, some of the scientific things were rather handy to know, she thought. Nyx had some of the materials she would need so far, but she needed more. She had to practice and then perfect whatever it was she discovered, if anything, before trying to bring her family back. If Nyx was really going to resurrect them, she was going to do it right the first time.

Jack was the only one she hinted all this to when he asked what was in the coffins. Nyx just said that the contents were worth more to her than Voldemort's head on a silver platter, even though she couldn't 'use' them yet – meaning, she couldn't interact with them properly since they were still just corpses. But it was only a matter of time before she figured it out, and she wouldn't mind the undoubtedly long and tedious work she would have to do in order for her to get to see her family again.

Of course, "family" meant "Vincent and mum" because Nyx was only bothering to resurrect her father so she could get even with him for the suffering he caused her. She wanted to bask in the glorious feeling of watching him die a slow, agonizing death at her own hands. It was the only thing she could dream up that could ever possibly restore any of her lost sanity, and one of few things that would being her immeasurable joy. Should she torture him into death and insanity? No, because she wanted to see the look on his face as life left him for the second time, see what he was feeling as his own daughter murdered him, and if he lost his marbles first then he might not really realize or care what was happening to him.

Should she poison him, give him an antidote, and then poison him again, repeating the cycle until his body couldn't take it anymore and quit on him? No, that was too impersonal. She would settle for no less than a direct killing, with him knowing very well who was doing it. It was possible that the insufferable fool could think someone else was poisoning him instead of her.

Should she give him her curse and watch him go through everything she had over the course of her life, reveling in his newfound knowledge of what he had caused her to become, and watching him slowly lose his mind and then take his own life?

…_yes, that sounds about right. _Nyx thought with a particularly cruel grin. _I'll start it and he'll finish it while I get to watch. **Perfect**…well, maybe not quite. The only snag is that I might not live to see him die. I would assume I'm almost spent myself, and if he lasts **half **as long as I have… _She furrowed her brows in strained thought. Turning her father into an SM sounded like a fair punishment, but it would be for nothing if she didn't get to witness his end with her own two eyes. _I could torture him manually and make sure he loses it with enough time for him to finish the Decline before I do…but then there's no grantee how long it would last for him…or me, for that matter…_

**We could always take him down with us.**

Nyx was faintly surprised at the sudden suggestion, but she was more indignant than anything else. _And who ever said I liked the idea of dying at the same time he does? _

**I can make sure he goes before we do. Trust me.**

…_I don't think so. And stop saying "we." I can handle this by myself._

**You keep telling yourself that, dearie, but it won't bring anyone back from the dead.**

Switching mental gears, Nyx began to think up all the horrible things she would do to the Beast if he ever gained a corporeal form apart from her body, and more than one put a rather sinister smile on her face.

"Um…Nyx?"

She snapped out of her reverie to see Jack staring at her apprehensively from the foot of the few steps up to her throne, where she sat leaned back comfortably, her long, pale fingers meeting each other at the tips in a triangular shape, and her elbows resting on the arms of the chair. "Yes?"

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked, eyeing her almost suspiciously.

"Perfect. Why?"

"Well, a second ago you looked _particularly_ evil, and I was wondering why."

"I was just thinking about what I'm going to do with one of my newest…acquisitions."

"Which one?"

"The one I let you levitate around."

"The one you said you wouldn't mind if I dropped?"

"The same."

"…that reminds me of something I wanted to ask you. Did you only let me handle that one when you took the other two because it's somehow worth less to you and you didn't trust me enough to take care of the others? And is that why you said you wouldn't be angry if I accidentally dropped it, banged it into something, or damaged it in any way, shape or form?"

"Not at all. I gave you that one because I knew that if _I_ was controlling it, I would have dropped it every five seconds, banged it into everything I could see, and damaged it to the point of it's breaking. And that would be bad, so I knew if I gave it to you it wouldn't happen. I only made you take the one because I could handle two very easily, and I didn't want to make you work any harder than you needed to."

"…oh. Thanks…I guess…" _Well, that's…encouraging…?_

"Any time." Nyx fell silent for a few seconds. "What are you doing in here anyway?"

"I came to tell you that Maxu's back, but then I saw that look on your face and wondered if this was a bad time," Jack replied.

"No, it's fine," she said quickly, sitting up in the throne and resting her hands on the arms. "He's back _already?"_

Her second-in-command nodded slowly.

"Damn!" she muttered, slumping back into the magnificent chair. "I was hoping to get rid of him for about a week, not two friggin' days!"

"We feel your pain, master," Jack said, looking like he'd just discovered his first gray hair.

"How many did he bring with him?" Nyx groaned.

"One."

"…come again?"

"He only brought one person back with him, but I didn't get to see him – or _her_, maybe."

"_What?_ He estimated around ten!"

"I'm assuming he has an explanation, but he hasn't given it to anyone yet, so I wouldn't know."

Nyx rolled her eyes and ran a hand over her face before heaving a huge sigh. She shoved herself out of the seat and loped down the steps, muttering something about, "wasting my time telling people to get all these rooms ready, and for what?"

Jack donned his wrap and hood as he followed his master out of the throne room and into the entrance hall, where Maxu and his guest of honor stood. The fair-skinned young man beside him was very tall, probably over 6 feet, but seemed a foot taller because of his outrageous hair. It was dark brown with faint, natural highlights and lowlights that no one, Magic or Muggle, would ever be able to achieve with any amount of dye in the next century. It would have hung down to his shoulders if it weren't sticking up and out into the air in softened spikes to shame Maxu's, with a few pieces in the back and sides that were a bit more relaxed. A select few thin hairs hung over his face, but they failed to conceal his thick, dark eyebrows and the silver ring piercing the outside end of the left one.

More…_interesting_ piercings adorned his ears. In the right lobe was a red gem with '172' carved into it, and a thin metal coil wound itself though the outside cartilage in a painful-looking spiral. What looked like a severely shrunken coconut dangled from a delicate chain fed through the left lobe, while two small gold rings hung from halfway up the outermost part of his ear. A final visible piercing stuck out from beneath his bottom lip; a shiny silver sphere that reflected the short beard growing off the chin beneath it, which curled downwards just slightly at the tip.

The young man was quite muscular, though certainly not a bodybuilder, as Nyx could see from his exposed forearms. His dark red, plaid flannel shirt sleeves were rolled up, and beneath that shirt was another one; a black t-shirt mostly concealed by the partially-buttoned flannel shirt. Well-worn, baggy dark blue jeans covered his long legs, but not his thick black boots he seemed to have worn around the world and back. Around his neck was an old, tattered leather dog collar that might have once been black. A bent, scratched, oval-shaped metal tag hung from it with something etched into the surface. Nyx wondered with a mental snicker if it said something about returning the man to his owner if he was found.

Jack's blue eyes widened in shock as if he'd just been groped by a random stranger. "I _know_ him!" he hissed to his master as they walked down the steps towards the chatting pair below.

"Where from?" she asked curiously.

"I bloody graduated with him!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'd recognize that hair anywhere. It _is_ a small world after all."

"Dear _god_, don't you even _dare_." She cringed at the unintentional mention of that god-awful song.

"Sorry, Nyx…Would it be alright if I introduced myself first? I want to see if he recognizes me just by my voice."

"Whatever tickles your pickle."

"…ex…cuse…me?"

"…what? I heard someone use that saying before."

"How _old_ were they?"

"…16…"

"…my god, Nyx, you're not a teenager!"

"_So?"_

"So don't talk like one! It's damn creepy."

"…I was trying to be _cool_, but if you're gonna be like _that_…"

"No. Not cool. _Creepy."_

"Shut up and go introduce yourself."

Nyx shoved him out in front of her as they reached the bottom of the stairs, grabbing the attention of the two persons standing around. When the unidentified visitor turned his eyes to look in Jack's direction, Nyx saw that they were, if possible, even sharper and more attentive-looking than her second-in-command's, although they were golden and made him look rather wolfish. But he was still good-looking despite his apparent oddness and edginess. The young man started at Jack curiously, but with a ghost of recognizing the eyes staring back.

The man clad in black wasted no time in his 'introduction.' He stopped a few feet before the guest, lifted his arm so it was parallel to the marble floor, and pointed a black-gloved finger at him as he said accusingly, _"…you!"_

The other raised an eyebrow at him, pointed to himself with a fingerless army-green gloved finger, and replied weakly, "…me?"

"What…is your name?"

A wide grin spread across the stranger's face as he replied, "Ripley Von Engel."

"What…is your quest?"

"To seek refuge from the threat of You-Know-Who. Here, preferably."

"What…is your favorite color?"

"Red."

"What…is the capital of Assyria?"

"I thought it was only _three_ questions."

"No, it's _five_. Now answer."

"Assyria doesn't exist anymore."

"…all right, fair enough. What…is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?"

"What do you mean? African or European swallow?"

"…er, European, for the hell of it."

"11 meters per second, or 24 miles per hour."

"…damn! Foiled again!"

"And there was much rejoicing. May I go now?"

"…oh, fine." Turning to his master standing behind him with her hand clapped over her mouth in either surprise, alarm, or an attempt to stop herself from saying something, Jack added, "And now you know who he is."

"And I think I know who_ you _are," Ripley said to him, still grinning. Maxu was giving him a very strange look as if he'd just now realized the state of his friend's hair. "But first, whose castle is this?"

Without missing a beat, Jack replied in the most outrageous and authentic French accent anyone had ever heard, "Zis is ze castle of my master, Lord Psycho."

"Please go and tell her that I have been dragged out here on account of _him_ and his paranoia – " he gave Maxu a nod "- and if she will give me food and shelter for a while I shall be as little a nuisance as possible. And she can join me on my quest for the Holy Grail, too."

"Well, I'll ask her, but I don't zink she'll be very keen. She's already got one, you see."

"_What?_ Are you _sure_ she's got one?"

"Oh yes, it's very nice."

"Well…can I have a look?"

"Of course not! You are a German pig!"

"Well what are _you_ then?"

"I'm French! Why do you zink I have this _outrageous_ accent, you silly juvenile delinquent?"

At this point, Ripley could no longer contain himself and burst into laughter, to which Jack replied, "I don't wanna talk to you no more, you empty-headed animal food trough wiper. I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of _elderberries!"_

"Oh, god, I know that Taunter impression anywhere!" the newcomer managed as he staggered over to the man in the black cloak. Clapping him on the shoulder, Ripley asked jovially, "How's life, my _very_ good sir?"

"Fan-bloody-tastic, old chap," Jack replied, dropping the ludicrous accent and grinning as he slapped him on the back in a friendly manner.

"_Peachy_ to hear, son, absolutely _peachy_," he said, sounding suspiciously like Horace Slughorn, before adding in a somewhat demanding tone, "Now just _what_ the hell do you think you're wearing?"

"What? This old thing?" Jack tugged on the end of his wrap. "Identity concealment, of course."

"What on earth for, you little introvert?"

"To make sure people don't know who I am – unless they're like you and can recognize me by voice alone." He replied. Before Ripley could inquire as to what this was all about, he threw in, "I'll explain it all later."

The other shrugged and glanced over his old friend at Nyx, who was leaning on the banister of the stairs still with her hand clamped over her mouth for who knows why. Ripley broke out into a friendly smile and made his way over to her with long strides. "And _you_ must be the landlord!"

The master choked back a laugh with considerable difficulty as she extended her free hand politely and said through her fingers, "Lord Psycho."

"Ripley Von Engel, but you already knew that, you clever lady, you," he himself said as he took her hand. "But enough about me; let's talk about _you_. For starters…" Ripley crouched down a little so that he was shorter than Nyx and clasped her hand in both of his as he looked up at her with wide, shining eyes filled with a child-like admiration. He spoke in a hushed voice, yet he still sounded like a hyperactive teenage schoolgirl when he said, "Like, ohmigawd, I am your _biggest fan EVER!"_ He squealed with delight as he shook her arm vigorously, and Nyx lost it. She erupted into a fit of hysterical laughter that she'd been suppressing since the whole scene began.

As Ripley began fawning over Nyx's hand as if it were a sacred relic, Jack took his master's hint that she was going to soil her armor if he kept it up. "All right, all right, back it up there, sonny," he said as he walked over to Ripley, slapping his hands away from hers and somewhat pushing him off to the side.

"Don't _shove_ me," Ripley said in a deeply hurt tone as he nearly knocked the shorter man over in retaliation. As the two began a rather one-sided scuffle, Maxu wandered over to Nyx's side as her giggles finally subsided.

"Hey, Rip!" he said conversationally though looking absolutely confounded. "Do you know him?"

"_Know_ him?" Ripley asked, holding up the 'him' in question by the back of his cloak. "Only for seven horrible years!"

Jack kicked him in the shin and righted himself before adding, "We were in the same class at Hogwarts."

"_You_ went to Hogwarts?" Maxu blurted, now staring only at his superior.

"Yep," Ripley butted in as he threw an arm around Jack and leaned on him like he was a piece of scenery. "Slythies through and through, ain't we?"

"Yeah, yeah, now get off me," he muttered as he tried and failed to scoot away.

"And you were in _Slytherin?"_ Maxu continued, seemingly even more amazed.

"Did he not just say that?" Jack snapped at him.

"…wait a minute. How could you be in the same class?" the American asked yet again, this time to Ripley. "Aren't you a year older than him?"

The black-cloaked man released a totally inappropriate-for-the-situation laugh. "He got held back a year!"

Ripley removed his arm to fold it with its counterpart over his chest defensively as he shot his 'old friend' a pouting look and sniffled pitiably. "Stop making fun of me!" he whined.

Jack simply pointed at him and laughed again. The insulted man stomped his foot like a two-year-old in a temper tantrum and protested, "It's not _funny!"_ The other man doubled over instead, and Ripley decided he'd had enough. He pulled his flannel shirt up over his head and buttoned it up so that his face was covered, knelt down on the ground, and rolled over in the fetal position as he began to weep softly.

Jack stopped snickering and looked down at his friend piteously. "Aww, did I ruin your day?"

"Yeah," he sniffed.

"Oh, how can I _ever_ make it up to you?"

"Come closer."

Jack took a step so he was right beside Ripley's curled-up form as he began to unbutton the shirt. He spared one hand to motion with his finger for the other to come even closer, so Jack complied and bent down. In the blink of an eye, Ripley reached up with both arms, grabbing his hood and the end of his wrap, to throw off the hood and yank as hard as he possibly could on the long piece of fabric. Jack was consequently spun around a bit as his precious wrap was unwound from around his head all the way to the end, when he, being understandably dizzy and confused, fell to the ground pathetically. Ripley leapt to his feet, pointed down at his fallen friend and laughed triumphantly.

Nyx was soon on the ground as well, clutching her stomach in pain as she cackled in pure delight. Jack shot her a wounded look, and she replied to it with a mildly apologetic one. "…I'm sor…sorry…" she gasped between spasms of humor. "…but I've always…wanted to…do that to you…but I've never…never had a reason…and the look on your face…" She never said exactly what that look was because she had lapsed into a fit of laughter again and couldn't speak for the life of her.

She gave Ripley a thumbs-up once she managed to control herself a bit, which he returned with a cheesy smile before taking her hand and helping her to her feet again, still shaking a little with suppressed snickers. Jack gave him a dirty look as he got up by himself and said, "Oh, _I_ see how it is."

"What?" Ripley blurted, looking rather affronted. "Surely, my good sir, you have some sense of chivalry! Why else would I have helped the lady up and not thee?"

"…did you just say 'thee'?"

"Thy listening devices nay decievith thou, o foolish beast of burden."

"…I have no idea what you just said, but I'm pretty sure part of it was an insult."

"Your ears don't deceive you, dumbass."

"Thanks very much."

"Any time…hey, now that I can see you clearly…" Ripley took a step over towards the newly unmasked Jack and gave him a very appraising look. "You oughtta get this hair of yours cut. If it gets much longer you'll look just like Anna, and trust me when I say that would be _really_ bad."

Jack raised an eyebrow at the mention of the hair now dangling in his eyes and pretended that the mention of his dead sister didn't bother him. "And why is that so terrible, other than the obvious looking like a girl thing?"

"Well," he replied slowly. "It's not something I should put into words with a lady around," he glanced at Nyx who looked rather impressed with his manners "…so I'll just demonstrate." Ripley moved again so that he was standing side-by-side with Jack, who was looking up at him nervously. The newcomer asked him to turn his head the other way and he did, after which Ripley placed a single finger on Jack's shoulder to drag it down his arm in a rather seductive way while making a throaty, purring noise.

In a moment, Ripley was flat on his back, having been cursed by Jack's quick reaction time. Nyx's second-in-command looked highly disturbed and embarrassed, with an even whiter face than usual as he stood over his fallen target with his wand pointed at his head. "Don't…_ever_…" he panted furiously. "…do…that…to me…again…you psychotic…son of a _bitch!"_

"…at least you know now," Ripley offered weakly, wincing in pain as massive, throbbing boils erupted all over his body. Jack did a full-body shiver in response and frantically brushed off his violated arm as if the touch of another man, joke or not, would give him the plague.

Once Nyx ceased her most recent outbreak of laughter, she asked either Maxu or Ripley, "So, uh, how do you two know each other, by the way?"

"After I graduated, I moved to America to look for some fun," the wild-haired one explained as he sent the boils away with a wave of his wand. "When I remembered that I would need a decent job to survive, I was hired as a delivery boy by a retired Auror who owned a little pawn shop in Los Angeles, California."

"And she was the one who raised me," Maxu finished, looking rather proud of this. "We've known each other for about 6 years, and we've always gotten along just _great." _He said this last word with almost more sarcasm then even Jack could manage.

"Eh, shaddup! Damn kid…" Ripley shot back in a voice that was an impressive imitation of a crotchety old man.

"And, uh, what happened to the others you said you'd be bringing home with you?" Nyx asked lightly, throwing Maxu a look that gave him the feeling that a good answer was in his best interest.

"Well," he started tiredly. "Three were Muggles and didn't take a single word I said seriously because they know nothing about You-Know-Who, two were halfies and didn't take a single word I said seriously despite knowing all too well about You-Know-Who, another three were wizards who believed me but didn't believe you existed, and even if you did there was no _way_ you could be stronger than You-Know-Who –"

(Nyx scoffed and Jack muttered, "They're screwed.")

" – and the only one who completely believed me got just a _little_ pissed off when I suggested that he was incapable of protecting his wife, child and property, and that a woman could do better. Touchy bastard slammed the door in my face, so he can't blame _me_ if something bad happens to him."

Nyx turned to Ripley and said with a smirk, "And you were the only one who believed him and actually came along?"

He nodded happily. "I'm not all that concerned about Lord Thingy, to be honest, but after he described _you_ I couldn't help but come along just so I could see if a woman such as yourself truly existed."

She raised an eyebrow at him severely and asked in a frozen voice, "And what sort of woman is _that?"_

"Well, from what my boy Earl over there said –" _("Don't call me that, damn you!")_ "- you're something else for too many reasons to remember and repeat. All I can say is I'd never met anybody like the woman he described, and I wanted to see if you were really like that."

"So you're just curious about me?" Nyx asked with a sly grin.

"Pretty much, yeah," Ripley replied. "He also said something about you needing to lighten up every now and then, and since I almost committed involuntary murder by making this guy laugh so hard he went into cardiac arrest, he thought I'd do you some good."

She sent Maxu a rather grouchy looking stare and said venomously, "Is that right." The look left her face in an instant, though, in favor of a rather pleasant grin. "I'm kidding. If things would just go my way I'd be in a better mood all the time, but until I'm ruler of the world you're gonna have to put up with my bitchiness. It's not that I don't like having a good laugh, mind you. I love a good laugh. I just have a…_unique_ sense of humor, if you will."

"Ohh, you're one of those people that laughs at funerals, aren't you?" Ripley said, seeming a bit afraid and fascinated at the same time.

Nyx chuckled in spite of herself and replied, "I guess you could say that. I also find some things that are an absolute riot to most people not funny in the least bit, but that's only in special cases."

"Well, in that case," Jack said thoughtfully. "When you're in a bad mood next time, what should we do to get you out of it? You know, to make you laugh or something?"

His master stood there and pondered him for a few moments before grinning again. "Before I tell you that, I have a job for you to do."

He groaned inwardly, but simply replied as obediently as he could, "Anything you want, Master."

"I want you to bring me…a _shrubbery!"_

"A _what?"_

The general surprised response was met with a series of "Ni!"s from Nyx, twitching a little as she said each and laughing quietly as Ripley immediately flinched as though he were being attacked. Jack was just staring at her with a look of dawning comprehension spreading across his face in a wide smile. "…you know Monty Python and the Holy Grail?"

"Yes," Nyx answered a little sheepishly. "It's one of my guilty pleasures, indulging in silly Muggle movies that despite their stupidity make me laugh like a chipmunk on more drugs than it has teeth."

Her second-in-command's face faltered as he tried to imagine her making that sort of noise, sending him into peals of laughter that Nyx only made worse.

"…are you laughing _at_ me?" Jack's only response was a difficult nod. "Well, then stop!" It didn't do much good. "…ni! Ni! NI!" That only made it worse. "I shall say 'ni' again to you if you do not appease me!"

"…s-stop…it hurts…" Jack pleaded, referring to his abdomen.

Nyx clapped her hands to her ears as a reflex. "Don't say that word!" she said, visibly alarmed.

Taking his hint again, Ripley asked, "What do you mean by '_it_ hurts', Jack?"

"Aah! You said the word again!" the woman yelped.

"…stop it…" Jack begged as tears started leaking out of his eyes.

"You said it _again!"_ Nyx nearly shrieked in panic. "Aah! Now _I've_ said it! _AAGH! I said it again! **AAAH!" **_With this last cry of alarm and pain, she dropped to the ground and started rolling around in agony and distress, still moaning every time someone said "the Word."

Many several minutes later after the room was calm and under control once again, Nyx made an announcement. "We are _so_ having movie night tonight."

"Yay! Movie night!" Maxu cheered. "Should I go start cooking the popcorn?"

"In a minute," she replied. "First you really ought to show Mr. Comedian here around; especially his room and the bathrooms."

"Aye aye, cap'n." The American turned to his guest and barked, "Keep up, ya scurvy gizzard-licker!" Ripley saluted him before they began marching out of the room idiotically. Just before they were out of the door, the tag on Ripley's collar caught the light.

"Wait a second!" Nyx called after them, taking a few quick steps over. "Where'd you get that collar from, if you don't mind my asking?"

"My old dog, Dennis," Ripley explained remorsefully. "Had him since he was born. Died about 2 years ago at seventeen. Best dog there ever was, I do believe."

"Oh, I'm sorry," the woman said with genuine sympathy. "The violence inherent in the system got him, didn't it?"

"Yeah," the other replied with a bittersweet grin. "Mishap at the Quidditch World Cup. Fuckin' Irish drunkards were setting off fireworks in every direction. …oh, sorry. Slip of the tongue."

Nyx chuckled and said earnestly, "Don't apologize. You haven't heard me go on a tirade; _that_ merits an apology."

Ripley grinned wider and laughed a little. "I'll take your word for it."

The master nodded to him and added to Maxu, "Oh, and make sure you have enough for everyone because everyone's invited. And if you see Sakura around, tell her to let everyone know about it. And if you see Edgar, tell him to find someone to set all that technological crap up because I'm lucky I can barely work a phone."

"Will do, master," he replied. "But, uh, when are we starting?"

"How long do you think the popcorn will take?"

"Um…it should be done by 5 or 6, but I'm not completely sure. It's a hell of a lot of popcorn, you know."

"Alright, then let's go for 7 just to be safe."

At that Nyx shooed them out to go about their business before turning to Jack and smiling happily. "Having a good day?" he asked, grinning a bit himself.

"Quite," she replied. "I haven't laughed that hard in years."

"Well, he has that effect on people. Always has, always will."

"I'm glad he's here, and I hope he stays a while. People like him do me good, no matter how rudely _some_ people phrase it. Way more amusing than _some_ people, and he's actually polite to me."

"…I'm polite to you too, you know."

"I know, but I wasn't expecting it from the looks of him. That hair is bloody _insane_…"

Jack laughed audibly. "You can say that again. It was shorter the last time I saw it, though. Not to mention what he did to his face…"

"I think the piercings are kinda cool. I'm not saying I'm going to go and get a bunch of metal poked through me right away, but it looks good on _him_ anyway. His eyes are interesting too. Wonder how he got them to turn that color…"

"They're contacts." Jack's voice had suddenly become steely. "Muggles use them in place of glasses and some of them make your eyes look a different color than they really are. His eyes are really brown."

"Oh. And what about yours?"

"Mine are natural."

"…is something wrong?"

"No. Why?"

"You're acting weird all of a sudden."

"Weird as in…what?"

"Weird as in you're acting like you used to around Alex."

Jack inhaled sharply and snapped, "And what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Nyx stared curiously at him. "I wasn't insinuating that it meant anything. I was just making an observation. What do _you_ think it's supposed to mean?"

"…nothing." His voice had softened, but still held a bit of an edge to it.

Nyx watched him for a moment as his eyes lingered somewhere just short of her feet, then glanced up at her briefly and immediately fell back to the floor. "…well, back to Ripley, since you've known him for so long, can you tell me if he has anything useful for me?"

"As in some kind of skill you could hire him for?" Jack asked in reply with a smirk, turning his gaze up to meet hers. "Other than being random and hilarious, not really. He sucked at school and he doesn't seem to really have any aspirations in life. I'm actually surprised he's still alive for the slacker that he is…"

The woman sighed. "So, just keep him here for entertainment value?"

"I would think so. Unless you have something _else_ in mind," he added with slyly raised eyebrows.

Nyx turned her head to the side a little with a very confused expression and asked, "Like what?"

Jack was about to reply, but seemed to think the better of it and merely said with a dismissive shake of his head, "Never mind. I'm gonna go catch up to the two clowns and see if I can finish the tour off so the great and mighty cook can go make some popcorn and I can have a little chat with the weirdo."

His mater looked a bit surprised at his abruptness, but shook it off shortly and gave him a small smile. "Alright. Meanwhile, I'll be looking for the damn movie. I can never remember where I put it…must be getting old and forgetful…"

The other laughed quietly as he began to replace his wrap and started after Maxu and Ripley. As he walked past his master, who was still standing near the foot of the stairs, she reached out and rumpled his shaggy black hair, grinning playfully. Jack made a noise of protest and confusion to cover the tingling feeling on the back of his neck, looking up into her fiery eyes for an explanation.

"This is an order," she said impressively. "Don't get a haircut, and don't get contacts."

Jack stared after her with a blank expression as she pranced on up the stairs towards her room, humming "We're the Knights of the Round Table" with the same childish grin plastered across her face. When he recovered in a few moments, he smiled peacefully and let the wrap fall across his shoulders as he continued on his way towards the door. As he ran his gloved fingers through his hair absent-mindedly, a sudden thought crossed his mind that forced him to laugh audibly at the utterly sappy stupidity of it.

"_I'll never wash my hair again."_

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"…and I know you're gonna love this room."

"Goody-goody-gumdrops. What's it look like?"

"Let me put it this way; it absolutely _screams_ 'you.'"

"Heh, that's good. I'm best when I'm in my own medium…whatever that means…"

Ripley and Jack approached the door to guest room number 172 laughing a bit, just as they had been for about the past two hours during Ripley's introduction and the tour. Maxu had left them a while before to go see to the popcorn and find Edgar; Sakura had already carried out her duty within a few minutes of hearing about it. This was the room the newcomer was to be staying in, according to no one in particular, and the rather creepy, eccentric theme of it seemed to be just right for Ripley. Plus it had a bathroom, unlike many guest rooms, and it was covered in red.

Just as Jack was about to pull the creaky wooden door open, Ripley blurted, "Wait! Before I fall absolutely in _love_ with the room, how long am I welcome to stay in it? If I'm getting evicted within a week I'd rather have a really shitty room that I hate so I won't be sad when I leave."

His friend shifted his weight a bit as he leaned against the door and pondered for a moment before answering. "Lord Psycho said she would be glad for you to stay a while – for entertainment purposes, of course – but I would think that once danger has passed you can return to your normal daily life. I don't think she'll force you out, though, unless you piss her off."

"I see," the other replied with a laugh before grinning broadly and changing the subject. "Speaking of her, that boss of yours is something else."

The second-in-command smirked and said, "Indeed she is."

"Yeah, Maxu said she was a handful…kinda mean, uncaring, cruel and cold-hearted, yet still likeable. Now I know why." He laughed heartily, expecting Jack to join in at any moment. When he didn't, Ripley saw the puzzled look on his face and added all too candidly, "She's freakin' hot!"

Jack's first response was to feel a sharp jab somewhere around his stomach, and his second was to force a laugh and not really respond any further. Right now was probably not the time to admit to being in love with her to a friend he hadn't seen in 6 years, or agreeing that she was "freakin' hot." _Not quite the words I would have chosen, anyway…_

Ripley looked thoughtful for a moment and asked in all seriousness, "Think I have a chance with her? She seems to kinda like me already, so-"

"No."

"…um, just 'no'?"

"Yeah. Just no. She's not the type you could 'have a chance with,' if you catch my drift."

"Ohhh…not into relationships? That bites."

"Well, not anymore at least. She said she once had a boyfriend, but that that was years and years ago. I'm thinking it ended poorly so she doesn't want anything to do with boyfriends ever again." _She may have made a New Year's Resolution to get one, but I don't need to tell you that._

"Jesus…what a waste…"

Jack remained silent. _Tell me about it…_

"Well, speaking of her yet again, how's she treat you?"

"…I'm not sure I follow. 'Treat me' as in…?"

"Maxu said she can be pretty abusive if you catch her in the wrong mood."

"Oh, that. With me it's mostly verbal, and that's nothing nowadays. She smacks me now and then though, but only when I really piss her off, and she's never done more than a bruise. It's about the same with everybody else, except she's more inclined to beat the shit out of them than me."

"Is that so?" he asked, looking suddenly interested. "Any reason?"

Jack shrugged and said very honestly, "I don't know. Might be because I'm second only to her and she feels like being nicer to me for it, but I don't know. …why are you asking in the first place?"

"Well…to be completely honest…you don't look so good."

His friend stared at him in what was clearly surprise. Jack never thought there was anything wrong with his appearance to make him say something like that, and Ripley answered his question before he even got it out. "You're pale as death and you've got bags under your eyes. You look kinda thin, too. Have you been sick lately, or not getting any sleep?"

"Uh, no, I'm fine…" _I've barely slept for the past two days because I haven't been in the same room as her…apparently I can't sleep without her somewhere nearby…but I'll be damned if I tell **him** that…_

"You sure?"

"Positive. Why so interested?"

"I'm just being a concerned friend, is all. I wanna make sure little Jacky-poo's all safe and sound, you know."

Jack smiled weakly and muttered, "Thanks, but don't waste time worrying about me in the future, okay? I'm fine. Really."

Ripley gave him a long, lingering look that very clearly showed that he didn't believe a word of it, but he let it go and moved on to what Jack thought was an even worse subject. "So, you absolutely _must_ tell me," he said like a gossipy housewife. "Where _do_ you get your fashion sense?"

Jack let a long, exhausted sigh escape him before he answered painfully. "Remember when my sister died?"

"Y…yeah…" he answered quietly. _Methinks I just made a really freakin' huge mistake…_

"About a week or so after it happened, I met Lord Psycho and started working for her. She's completely against You-Know-Who, and Anna was killed by a Death Eater, so I figured this would be the perfect way to get revenge. Originally, I was just a spy, not second-in-command, so I wore black all the time more for camouflage, but also because of the mourning thing. After about three years, she and I ran into a guy named – believe it or not – _Alex_."

Ripley gaped at him with a mix of horror and amazement. "Not Alex _Fiennes_?"

"He _says_ he's Alex _Lazarra,_ but I think that's bullshit." Jack replied flatly. "He looks different but the voice and behavior is all the same, not to mention he's a Death Eater."

"You're kidding!"

"Not on your life. I saw the Mark myself."

"So…what's it got to do with your 'identity concealment' crap?"

Jack crossed his arms as a cruel smile curved his pale lips. "I won't get any satisfaction from killing him if I don't get to see the look on his face when he figures out who I am _right_ before I finish him. If he finds out who I really am before then, it won't be worth it. So, because one never knows who can recognize you and go tell the target of your revenge that you're actually alive, I've kept my identity private for the past 6 years, covering my face and every other part of me and taking a new title – 'Evil Minion.' That's why I'm so pale; I haven't seen much of the sun for the past few years."

Ripley's golden eyes didn't leave his friend's blue ones for a long moment. When they did, their owner sighed almost sadly as he stared at his boots with his hands in his pockets. "Damn…" he muttered.

"What?" Jack asked.

His friend looked back up at him with a look of something between pity and contempt. "You've changed, Jack, and not for the better. I was hoping you hadn't, but…"

"But what?"

Ripley's expression changed to mild surprise at the sharpness in Jack's voice, and from the look of his eyes the temper that was starting to surface.

"What's different about me that's 'not for the better'?" he snapped, glaring at him coldly. "As far as I'm concerned, I've only _improved_ in the past 6 years. I'm probably _twice_ as powerful as I was back then, and I can see nothing negative about that. And if you honestly thought that I wouldn't change at all in 6 bloody years, you're an absolute idiot!"

"Power-hungry as always, I see, just like a true Slytherin," the other muttered. "What I meant by you changing was becoming just as cold and cruel as your boss there. You were _never_ like this before."

Jack's eye twitched enough for the other to notice it and almost wish he'd kept his mouth shut. The shorter man glowered at his 'friend' harshly for a few seconds, making the said friend wonder if what he would say next would make him think even less of him. But whatever it was he was thinking about saying never left his lips because Jack simply turned away from him and began to push the door open, clearly restraining the urge to throw it open and hope it slammed into something and broke it.

"I know who killed her."

The suddenness of Ripley's words froze him. Once he recovered form the initial shock, Jack turned his head very slowly to meet his wolfish eyes with an inquiring yet threatening gaze. If he had known her longer, Ripley would have recognized that as Nyx's infamous "I want to know, but if you're lying you're dragon chow" look.

"…it was Fiennes, wasn't it?" he asked quietly and unemotionally.

Ripley pursed his lips and screwed up his eyes as he held his breath before spitting out in a very strained voice, "I can't say."

Eyes blazing furiously, Jack snarled, "Why not?"

"He forced me to make an Unbreakable Vow not to ever tell anyone! There was nothing I could do!"

"Then _why in god's name did you bring it up?"_

"I didn't mean to! It slipped! It wouldn't do you any good to know anyway."

"_Why?"_

Ripley scratched at his beard thoughtfully before answering slowly and calmly, "No matter how powerful you become, you will never be able to kill him. It's best that you simply don't know who he is in the first place so you don't do something…"

"Stupid?"

"Well, yeah. I'd hate to see you get killed or something for no reason –"

"'_No reason'?"_ Jack suddenly shouted. "You _dare_ call Anna's death _'no reason'?"_

"Th-that's not what I meant!" Ripley pleaded, taking half a step backwards in case his 'friend' lost it and tried to throttle him. He had only seen Jack's temper reach it's peak once, and he only had to see what happened to the guy that invoked it once to know better than to ever make him angry. He was normally calm and rather self-controlled, but there were certain issues that always touched a nerve in the worst way possible. One of these was his sister and her tragic death.

"I swear on my grandmother's eyes, I didn't mean that the way it sounded!" Ripley continued. "I would _never _insult Anna, or you, like that! God, I'd have to have a freakin' death wish to do that!"

"Yeah. You would." Jack's voice had become a low growl and his eyes had taken on a deadly glint. Without another word, he pushed the door open, sending a vase on a table behind it to the floor in a thousand pieces and not caring a bit. He gestured stiffly for Ripley to go in and only followed him after a very long moment of hesitation.

Ripley almost hoped he wouldn't and felt more than a little uncomfortable when he did. It took quite a bit to get him worked up like that, and once the initial eruption was over and it seemed that he had calmed down, it was more likely than ever to unwittingly make Jack twice as enraged about something, and even more likely than that that it wouldn't end well for the offender.

_If I don't know what's gonna set him off, I'd be wiser to staple my mouth shut… _the guest thought grimly. _It doesn't matter that he can't do shit to me no matter how much I piss him off…he seems to be pretty near the edge already, so I don't wanna make him push himself off and really lose it or something…man, would I have a hell of a guilt trip if that happened…_

…_I have enough else to feel guilty about; I don't need **him** on the list._

--- to be continued in Chapter 21 :Jack's Lament---

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**Disclaimer: **Own not, profit not, sue not. (With exception of Nyx, Jack, Anna, Ripley, Maxu, Sakura, Edgar, and Ripley's coconut earring.)

**A/N:** I'm sorry this took so long to finish, but I was up to my eyeballs in work and my Inspiration tank was stuck on empty. It sucked. I'm also sorry for anyone reading this who knows nothing about Monty Python and the Holy Grail, because you missed almost every joke in here. I promise to make up for it in Chapter 22. And to anyone reading this who's graduating High School or College or whatever, congrats and good luck with whatever you're doing next!

Also, I know I said Anna might make a comeback this chapter, but like I predicted I got carried away with all the other stuff and didn't have room. See below for the **Preview**.

**General Notes:** Hopefully all the resurrection stuff makes sense. The Frankenstein reference was thrown in just for those who have read it, like me. Might give you a couple ideas for what's gonna happen down the road...

Ripley is my favorite character in the appearance category. I would have a stroke if I ever met anyone who looked like him; _especially_ if they had the piercings. _OMFG I want the coconut sooooo bad. _A link to an oekaki doodle of him is on my profile if you need a mental image (which you probably do), but for an even better one look up a picture of Wayne Static (from the band Static-X) for the hair, and John Bender (from the movie The Breakfast Club - awesome beyond words) for the clothes. Add the piercings and the eyes, and that's basically Ripley. (Incidentally, his name has no significant meaning. I just like it.) Also incidentally, he's loosely based personality-wise on a few people I know, but I won't say who.

The "whatever tickles your pickle" line was from a friend of mine a couple years back. I thought it was hysterically perverted back then and still do now, so there you are. Stupid and juvenile, but still funny, and not something Nyx should _ever _say.

Believe it or not, there is a website where somebody actually figured out the airspeed velocity of an unladen European swallow. I wish I could meet this guy because I want to hug him. Ask me for the link and you shall recieve it.

This isn't just for this chapter, but I want to reiterate that Jack is 24, not 25 like I accidentally said in chapter 12. Yeah, that was a while ago, but in case anyone noticed that little plot hole, he's really 24. Like I keep saying, my math skills are not what makes me proud to be me, because I keep fucking stuff up because of them. -apologizes profusely-

**Preview:** There will DEFINITELY be lots of Anna in this nextchapter, and - finally - the _fluff._ Oh my god, the _FLUFF!_ -is too excited for words about writing it- Like I said, this chapter was gonna be part of THIS chapter until I noticed I reached the 11,000-word-mark and STILL HADN'T REACHED THE FLUFF. So I said "the hell with it" and chopped it up so we didn't have another chapter 6. And "Je sais" means "I know" in French. Here's a hint: Someone says this, but it won't be who you think it will. And someone else is gonna get a really nice/nasty shock because of it. Why it's both nice and nasty, you shall see.

**Final Words:** **_GO TO MY PROFILE AND LOOK AT THE JACK AND ANNA PICTURE_**. ...now that that's over with, you really should because it's twice as good as the Lord Psycho picture and 10,000 times better than the original portrait of Jack (which makes him look like a drugged-up butch woman, whereas in the new one he's clearly male and very sexy in mine own humble opinion).

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**Hiya:** I'm glad my realistic stuff fits in...realistically. I hope the Monty Python stuff worked the same way. -grin- I'm glad you said that about Matsu because that's what you're supposed to say about Matsu, which means I did it right, which makes me very happy. -dances with joy- Hopefully you'll like Nyx's backstory better than Voldy's; I think it's a bit more creative and interesting, personally, but then again I'm the author so what the hell do you expect me to say. -shrug-

I agree about Orli, and especially PotC 2! -is just as excited as you- Same with Christian Coulson; I actually booed Harry when he killed him. I haven't seen him in anything else yet, sadly, but I'm sure I'd love him just as much. -gigglesnort-

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It's **SUPER-HAPPY-ASK-THE-READERS-TIME!** (yay!)

Okay, in honor of the upcoming Fluff (capitalized for effect) I want to know...**_what pairings to you want to see or think will happen in this fic? _**(lolomg this is gunna b so kewliez)

I want **_EVERYONE READING THIS_** TO REVIEW, and I don't care if this is all that's in it. I probably won't change my plans just to make one or two people happy, but if I see an idea I like I might just sneak it in somewhere, so do it for yourself!

Here are a few examples to get the ball rolling: Jack/Nyx, Maxu/Nyx, Sakura/Maxu, Sakura/Nyx (I'll tell you right now that one ain't happening), Jack/Maxu (and neither is that one), Ripley/Nyx, Snape/Nyx (LOOOOOOOOL), Slughorn/Nyx (ummm), Draco/Nyx (...getting out on the limb, here...), CreepyPortraitMan/Nyx (...uhhhh.), Dumbledore/Nyx (...okay, what the hell.), Edgar/Anna (bet you didn't see that one coming), Louis/Crookshanks (heeheeheeheeheeheehee), Resurrected!Kalixius/Nyx (if there even _is_ a Resurrected!Kalixius...), Resurrected!Vincent/Hermione (I am offically the only one who can think up this crap), Nyx's dad/Nyx's mom (no shit, Sherlock...or maybe not?), or Voldy/Nyx! (Me: -gasp!-, Voldy/Nyx: **_WTF!_**)

I _really_ want everyone to do this. I love hearing what you want to read and what you think will happen, no matter how unprobable or outrageous it is. It makes me happy, and it lets me see if what I write is giving the impression it's supposed to. (Not that it's a bad thing if it isn't...It's just interesting to see the effects.) If nothing else it'll let me see if there are really between 60-100 people reading this. :o (100 reviews in one chapter would make me happier than words can describe. Actually I think I would pee my pants.)

**Thanks for reading and reviewing, and have a nice day!**

--- **k**avi-**s**ama ---


	21. Chapter 21: Jack's Lament

Chapter 21 – Jack's Lament

The door to Jack's barely-lit, deep blue bedroom swung open and slammed shut within the blink of an eye as it's solitary occupant entered in a terrible mood. Tearing the wrap off of his head and heaving it at the floor, Jack didn't see the faint, wispy figure floating in the sliver of twilight from the window covered almost completely by a heavy black curtain. He ripped the cloak off, ignoring the silver clasp and consequently breaking it with his unnecessary force, then pulled his leather gloves off and tossed the whole insignificant mess into a corner unceremoniously.

Jack took a few steps over to his large waterbed and face-planted himself on the soft, unmade sheets. After lying there for a few seconds, he raised an arm, made a tight fist and punched the bed with passionate force. But, to his immense disappointment, it hurt neither his hand nor the bed, and only made the liquefied mattress quiver and wiggle beneath him. Somehow, this seemed to calm him rather than frustrate him any more, and he was deeply glad for it.

The 24-year-old flipped over on his back and waved his wand at the curtain lazily, making it pull itself open to show the dying light of the sun as it completed its setting for the day; a possible omen of his chances with Nyx, he thought. He had just gotten back from 'movie night' and could not possibly feel any more miserable.

The event started off spectacularly when Ripley landed in the seat next to Nyx just as Jack was about to take it, and the latter was forced to slink over to her other side. Through the entire bloody movie, his master didn't look in anything that he could have even imagined was in his direction, because Ripley absolutely would not shut up. He managed to captivate her attention for all 89 minutes of the film, making her laugh more than Jack had heard her do in the past 6 years. He had had half a mind at one point to lean over and tell Ripley to stuff it, but seeing how much of a good time Nyx was having, he kept quiet.

For all the time Ripley made jokes and Nyx laughed, Jack sat there staring blankly at the huge projector screen, not watching the movie in any sense of the words no matter how much he loved it. His mind was stuck on the effect his old friend was having on Nyx, and consequently himself. He had never seen her so happy and light-hearted before, even when she did an absurd little victory dance after getting the strange stone caskets safely to the citadel. She had been in a disagreeable mood before he came into her life, but now Jack wondered if she'd ever be anything but shits and giggles with Ripley around. _He_ never put her in that good of a mood; what made him think she had any reason to ever speak with him again, let alone keep him working under her as second-in-command, or at all?

Jack desperately hoped that he was overreacting, and he might have convinced himself of that by the end of the movie if things hadn't plunged even deeper into the pits of hell. Once the silly tune at the end faded out, the event was officially done and everyone could go about their business getting dinner or going back to their rooms.

…but not if _Ripley_ had anything to say about it. The moment the screen went blank, he hopped out of his seat and onto the stage in order to formally introduce himself to the whole of Nyx's forces at the citadel – without her permission or suggestion, Jack noted – and, for their intense hour-long amusement, did a few rounds of stand-up comedy. Maxu joined in now and then for double the fun, but it was clearly the newcomer that stole the show. As he made his way to the dining hall for some well-deserved dinner, Jack heard all of the lower-rankers glorifying Ripley and his outstanding comedic talent.

_Fantastic. Now **everyone** loves him, _he thought bitterly. He added, after hearing a few women commenting on his declaring himself "available," _They should tell **him **they're interested. Maybe he'll leave Nyx alone if he gets enough marriage proposals…_

That, in essence, was the problem. Jack was almost surprised at himself for thinking about his best friend of the past like this, but there had never been a Nyx in the past either. The two Slytherins had never taken interest in the same girls, so they had none to fight over like they did now. Jack actually never felt very attracted to any of the girls at school, whereas Ripley was attracted to anything wearing a skirt (with the exception of Scotsmen). It wasn't that he was a perverted sex fiend with no respect for the female species; he just wasn't very picky. Considering how Jack had been so particular that he had actually refused several girlfriend proposals in the past, he and Ripley never saw eye-to-eye on the issue of women.

Jack shouldn't have been so surprised at his intentions towards his master, but he really didn't think that his friend would have liked her. If she hadn't known anything about Monty Python and the Holy Grail, she probably would have been much less warm and welcoming with him, and not inclined to laugh and joke with him for so long. There would have been no competition between Jack and Ripley, and there wouldn't be such animosity between them now.

That animosity had become apparent to both sides – and hopefully no one else – as the higher-ups, Nyx and Ripley awaited their late dinner. His master and old friend were having a friendly debate about how the movie could have ended if the Famous Historian, Frank, hadn't been killed and the police hadn't shown up and ruined all the fun. In the midst of this, Ripley changed the subject to one Jack found rather less than suitable for the dinner table.

He said that she looked "tense," whatever he meant by that, and when Nyx seemed a little confused, offered to "loosen her up." If he had been eating anything, Jack was sure he would have choked on it, and then needed CPR, which really wouldn't have been so bad…except it was Sakura and not Nyx that knew how to perform it, so on second thought, **_NO_**. Ripley proceeded to make his day the worst of his life by walking over to the only woman he loved and giving her his "famous" neck and upper back massage. Nyx only made it more painful by enjoying it to the fullest extent, and then inviting the scheming son of a bitch to sit in the seat that would have been Jack's if he had eaten with the rest of the group instead of by himself where no one could see his face.

And with that last straw, Jack walked as calmly as he could out of the room, giving his excuse as, "I guess I'm not that hungry. Apparently the popcorn was enough." But as he turned into the hall he looked back for only a moment to meet eyes with Ripley and give him his most impressive death glare, letting him know in that instant that it was _war_.

Jack groaned and closed his eyes as he lay on his waterbed in the present and turned his back to the window irritably. How had things gone so wrong? Ripley should have been a blessing, not a curse. They had always been such close friends, but now they were all but mortal enemies. Jack lifted his heavy lids to make himself reach under the bed for the secret drawer containing his diary, which he planned on adding to for at least a few hours, but almost started when he saw an 18-year-old girl sitting on his bed, watching him with a placid smile on her ghostly lips. She was wearing a Ravenclaw uniform and had a cute little indigo bow clipped onto the right side of her black, feathery, shoulder-length hair. Her eyes were a light, striking blue, and her features were dignified and refined, with a slightly elongated nose – exactly like Jack's.

_Anna?_

"_Hello, Mr. Turning-Into-His-Love-Interest-And-Suffering-All-The-While."_

He narrowed his eyes at his twin sister's transparent, slightly misty form. _I am **not **turning into her._

"_Tell that to Ripley. He's probably terrified of you by now; I swear, you looked just like her as you were walking out."_

_What did you expect me to do? He has no right to touch her like that, or treat her like that. _

"_And **you **do?"_

Jack threw her a long, venomous glare before retorting hotly, _That's not the point. He's a shallow bastard and you know that. All he's looking for is a good time._

"_I understand that, but if that were the whole story you wouldn't feel so awful right now, now would you?"_

…_what are you trying to say?_

"_Jealousy is not a pretty thing, my dear brother, and **you **are reeking of it."_

…_one disappears and another rises in his place…You know I can't help it._

"_Yeah, but this is bordering on obsession! You're acting like 'if I can't have her, nobody can,' for heaven's sakes!"_

_And why shouldn't I? She's the only person I **really **care about – that's still alive, of course – so why shouldn't I be jealous and obsessive, especially when she said straight to my face that she hoped he would stay for a while and that she liked his fucking stupid eyes! They're not even **real!**_

"_Jack…"_

_And **he** has the nerve to say "she's freakin' hot" after knowing her for 5 minutes, and then ask **me** if I think he has a chance with her!_

"_Jack."_

_And then he's got the balls to sit next to her during the movie and make stupid little jokes with her the whole damn time like they're on a fucking date or something and the rest of us are total strangers, and **I** don't even exist! He's a complete goddamned **idiot!**_

"_Jack!"_

_**What?**_

"_Calm down!"_

_Sorry, but you know this is one of the only things that **really** sets me off…what he said about you didn't help my mood either…_

"_Don't get too mad at him for that. What he said was true."_

_What, about my avenging your death being 'no reason' to get myself killed?_

"_No, the other part. Even if he didn't have the Unbreakable Vow, he shouldn't have told you who did it."_

_But **why?** What's so special about the bastard that would prevent me from kicking his ass straight to hell and back?_

Anna watched him for a while, biting her lower lip a little, before answering gently. _"…just take our word for it that there aren't many people who would stand a chance against him. **You** are not one of them, I'm afraid. **I'm** not going to tell you who it is, either. I don't want to see you throw your life away for me."_

_Why shouldn't I? You meant everything to me. I was an absolute **wreck **after you died…if it weren't for Nyx, I'd probably be dead or near death by now._

"_That's just it, though: Nyx. What about her?"_

…_what do you mean 'what about her'?_

"_Do you seriously want to throw your life away for your sister who meant everything to you until her death, and give up on the only woman you love without even telling her so?"_

…_no, not really…_

"_Then **don't!** Getting revenge for me might make **you** feel better, but it won't do much for me. Sure, I guess I'll feel better knowing he got what he deserved, but it's not like he won't die **eventually, **one way or another. Killing him won't bring me back; you know that. If it means you getting killed trying, I'd rather you didn't try at all. I know you mean really well by it, but pleeeeaase don't?" _

…_all right, I won't ask either of you again…But I want to know eventually, got it? Even if I'm 110 or something when you can finally tell me, I still want to know. _

"_No problem, Jacky-poo, as long as you keep your promise not to put yourself in danger for my sake. The world needs at least **one** of us to stay worthy of existence!"_

Jack laughed audibly. _Yeah, except they're stuck with the bad one now._

"_Damn right. I feel sorry for everyone who has to put up with you."_

_You're too kind._

"_I know. Anyway, back to your little girlfriend issues there…"_

_Oh, great. You're gonna give me tips, aren't you?_

"_Yes indeed I am. Firstly, what are you going to do about Ripley?"_

…_um…?_

"_Like, either put him in his place about her or leave it alone and let him have a shot –"_

_**Hell no** I'm not letting him 'have a shot'! He may be my friend, but I **know **he would never hit it off with her no matter how hard he tries. Her humorous side is the one that's not seen most of the time, and if he tries to focus on that he'll probably just drive her crazy. I don't think she can put up with people who have a difficult time being serious for very long. She's been fine with him all day so far, but I doubt it'll stay like that for much longer. He'd be better off not trying in the first place, rather than get rejected and his poor little dreams crushed. _

"_Are you gonna tell him that?"_

_Not on your li-…er, nevermind. But, no, I won't. I have no reason to, and things are strained enough between us at the moment besides…_

"…_speaking of which, aren't you the least little bit sorry for acting like this with him?"_

_No. He deserves what he's getting, and I'm just giving it to him. _

"_But he really doesn't know any better, so…"_

_Doesn't matter. He knows **now, **and if he doesn't I'll just have to spell it out for him – maybe literally. He **did **get held back a year…_

Anna sighed irritably and gave her brother a look. _"You're not being very sensitive, Jack."_

_Why should I be? If this had to do with anything else, I would be nicer about it. But as long as it concerns Nyx, it's every man for himself, in my opinion._

"_Even if it's your best friend?"_

_Even then. I don't feel guilty because I haven't seen him in 6 years and don't feel like I really 'know' him like I did back then. I don't know if it's because **I've** changed and he hasn't, but…_

"…_well, I can't say much to that because I've never been in your place. Never really liked that weirdo much to begin with, but…Anyway, since you're not going to do Ripley any favors, what **are** you going to do? Y'know, about Nyx."_

…_I know I'm going to regret asking this, but what do **you** think I should do?_

"_Kiss her!"_

_I **knew** you were going to say that, and the answer's still no._

"_Why not? You know you want to more than **anything!"**_

_Yeah, but does **she** want me to? _

"_Only one way to find out…"_

_No._

"_Please?"_

_No, dammit._

"_Fine, but if you want her to know that you like her as more than a master and friend, and ignore Ripley in favor of you, you're gonna have to do **something**. What if you just ran up to her and yelled, "aimes-moi, s'il-vous-plait"?"_

_She would give me a weird look and wonder if I just insulted her. She doesn't speak a word of French, Anna, and I already tried and failed to teach her. Hell, she can't even pronounce "oui" correctly. Either way, I am **not** running up to her and yelling, "love me, please" in **any **language. You know I'm not the type to be loud and pushy like that, and she knows it just as well. If I said "I love you" out of the blue at any time, she'd wonder if I was playing come kind of weird prank on her just to see her reaction. I don't think it's ever crossed her mind that I might be in love with her. _

"_And that is why **I** am here; to help you change that. Now, if you won't kiss her or tell her how you feel outright, then what **would **you do?"_

_I've already explained this…It doesn't matter what **I **would do, it's what **she** would do. If I so much as tried to hold her hand during the movie earlier, she probably would have ripped it off and shoved it down my throat. She is **not** the affectionate type._

"_How the hell do you know? You suck at Legilimency, and she's probably the best Occlumens in existence! Not to mention you've never **tried **anything…"_

_Even if I don't know for certain, I can make a pretty damn good guess, and I'd really rather keep my hand where it is than risk losing it. If I do anything that she doesn't like, consciously and of my own free will, romantically-inclined or not, she would let me know, and I really don't need to take that risk until I know how she feels about **me** first._

A sly grin spread across Anna's face as she answered. _"Well, then, you're just going to have to do something **un**consciously and **not** of your own free will, aren't you?"_

Jack raised an eyebrow at her curiously. _Like what?_

"_Ohh, I dunno…sleepwalking?"_

…_**What?**_

"_No, no, no, don't give me that look! It'd be perfect! She can't get mad at you because you're asleep and don't know what you're doing if you just 'happen' to go into her room and - !"_

_I can't force myself to sleepwalk into her room, you dumbass! …And I really don't want to know what came after the 'and'!_

"_I mean you'd **pretend** to sleepwalk! If you did it right she'd never know!"_

_I can't do that, I'm a **terrible **actor! You know that!_

"_No, no, no, all you need is some practice! I'll help you, I promise!"_

Jack did not look impressed.

"…_fine. Ix-nay on the eepwalking-slay…sleep is good, though; we should go with the 'sleep' thing…Is there any way you could sleep in her room and then 'happen' to crawl into bed next to her?"_

…_where the **hell **do you think you're taking this, Anna? I wasn't planning on maxing out my V-Card tonight, you know._

"_Just play along for now. Is there any way you could sleep in the same room as her?"_

_Probably not. At Hogwarts we always did, but that was because it's a dorm and I was pretending to be her pet, so it's kind of a given. We slept in the same bed once before, but only because she didn't feel like kicking me out of the bed. I don't think she'd have a problem with throwing me out the window if I tried to make her let me stay in her own private room this time. _

"…_didn't you say you haven't been sleeping lately, and you think it's because you're not near her?"_

…_um…I guess so…though I don't remember telling you specifically…_

"_You were talking to yourself last night, remember? Anyway, could you use that as an excuse?"_

_I don't think so. I **really** don't think she'd like to sleep near another person any more than she has to. She spends half her time in this place holed up in her room, in compete solitude, so I would think she likes it that way._

"_But if she does let you…If she does, that must mean **something**, right?"_

_Yeah. She pities me._

"_Nooo, I meant that she wouldn't mind sleeping near you because she **likes** you."_

…_you just won't give up on this, will you?_

"_Of course not! I want to make sure my dear, sweet brother gets laid **some**time!"_

Jack rolled his eyes and ran his pale fingers through his hair as he chuckled a bit. _You have a surprisingly dirty mind, Anna. I think you're just trying to get me in bed with her so you can **watch.**_

"_Oh, please! As if I want to see my own brother stark freakin' naked and doing **that**…eeew. No, I just wanna see the look on your face afterwards. It'll be worth **anything**."_

_Jesus, Anna, don't talk to me like you know from experience._

"…_wellll…"_

…_you **didn't.**_

"…_I did."_

_Well when the hell were you gonna tell **me,** huh? We swore we'd tell each other ASAP!_

"_Jack…I couldn't tell you because I was **dead."**_

The brief look of hurt vanished from his face like it had been slapped off, and a look of horrified revulsion replaced it. **_…him?_**

"_Hey, don't start. If I knew he was gonna kill me, I would've kept my pants on."_

_No, I meant **Alex-** wait…It **was** him, wasn't it?_

"_**You said you wouldn't ask!"**_

_**You're **the one who said it in the first place!_

"_Doesn't matter, dammit! I'm **not saying!"**_

_Oh, come on, Anna!_

Anna refused to look at him, resolutely shaking her head without another word.

_I promise not to run off and get myself killed!_

The girl continued shaking her head stubbornly as Jack continued and failed to persuade her, eventually giving up with a very annoyed look.

…_anyway, back to your trying to help me with all this…I don't want you to misunderstand me. I appreciate the concern **much **more than I'm showing. _

"_Then why won't you listen to my advice? It would do some good for** someone**."_

_Because common sense tells me not to, and unless you can come up with something to convince my common sense that it really **is** a good, fool-proof idea, I am **not **doing it._

----------------------------------------------------------------------

_I **cannot **believe I am doing this._

Jack was waiting outside the door to Nyx's bedroom in a black t-shirt with a white Nine Inch Nails (his all-time-favorite Muggle band) logo on the front, soft navy blue lounge pants that accented his eyes rather nicely, and fluffy white Killer Rabbit slippers. The unusually large fang that was usually tied protectively around his wrist was now hanging around his neck; the unicorn hairs holding it could be adjusted to different widths so that he could get it on his wrist and then tighten it securely. He decided to wear it this time no matter how uncomfortable it could be because Nyx would probably be glad to see him guarding it at all times, just like he was instructed. He was also pretty sure that if he played his cards right, she might tell him where or what it was from.

Anna was hovering beside him, transparent and ghostly as ever, and yet still decidedly cute in a very schoolgirl kind of way, even as she gave her twin a very threatening look._ "We just spent the past hour and a half preparing you for anything that could happen in there, so you have **no** reason to be nervous."_

_But…but she's gonna **murder** me!_

Anna began beating him anywhere she could reach with a passion, shouting, _"You had better knock on that door and get on with it, or so help me god I'll knock it with your **head! **Now **DO IT!"**_

Jack scooted out from beneath her blows with considerable difficulty, and seemed to calm her when he said, _All right, all right, I'll do it! Just get off me!_

His sister ceased the attack and backed off a little. _"Good boy. Now remember; do as we practiced, and everything will go just fine."_

_I **know**…_he grumbled at her, feeling like a little kid who'd been told one too many times to go clean his room. Jack took a deep, calming breath before taking his place before the magnificent black doors again. _I'll be lucky if she answers the frigging door, let alone allow me in…_ If this went as well as he hoped it would, he would be the first of her minions, besides Edgar who could go pretty much anywhere, to enter her sacred domain. Such a feat would be considered a huge honor, and would make him the luckiest man on the continent, even if he didn't accomplish what his perverted sister considered "_really_ getting lucky."

Jack could hear what sounded like low music and two voices beyond the doors, and wondered with a horrible jolt of fury and agony if Ripley had beaten him to it. _Oh, **why **didn't I get some Felix Felicis for this? Stupid, stupid, **stupid**… _Slowly, he raised his fist and knocked tentatively on the gothic-looking door, praying to every deity in existence for her to be merciful to him, and for _anyone_ to be in there but Ripley.

The voices stopped abruptly, and the music soon followed. Jack heard what he assumed to be Nyx's footsteps crossing over to the other side of the door, unlocking a few latches, and pulling it open a crack. He recognized her fiery eye peeping out at him, and the voice that asked in an admirable impression of a certain bridgekeeper, "What…is your name?"

"Jack Corbeau," he said with a grin, feeling a little bit better.

Nyx opened the door further to lean on it and snicker in spite of herself. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. I think I've had too much sugar today." As she opened her mouth to begin her next sentence, Jack's outfit caught her eye, and her outfit caught his. They were wearing the exact same clothes, from the NIN shirt all the way down to the Killer Rabbit slippers, but with different items around their necks; Jack with the fang and Nyx with her blood ruby. It took only a moment for both of them to burst into laughter at the bizarre coincidence, and especially because of seeing each other with the rabid, bloodstained bunny slippers on.

"You like Nine Inch Nails?" Nyx laughed in pleased surprise.

"'Like' them?" Jack replied, feeling as if a massive weight had been lifted from his mind. "_You_ didn't see me when I got _The Downward Spiral_ the day it came out. All I'll say is I'm too embarrassed to tell you what I did to celebrate."

"I know, same with me! I got it that day, too!" she agreed enthusiastically.

"How? You couldn't have left to get it, I would've remembered seeing you go out."

"Mail order!"

"Oh. Of course."

"Speaking of which, get in here."

"Wha –" was all Jack could manage before Nyx grabbed him by the arm and dragged him through the door, only letting go to shut it and lock it again. She then led him further into her domain with a gentle shove when he simply stood there gaping at the surprisingly welcoming room around him.

Nyx's "room" was more like a master suite; there was one main 'room,' a bathroom that branched off of it, another room that branched off of the main one, and then something that was more like an extension of the main room than another full, separate room. The main area was octagonal and large though not cavernous, with a pitch black carpet below and a high ceiling above where the multiple wall corners met in a star-like shape. Hanging from this peak was an elegant black and silver chandelier on a chain, styled just like those in the ballroom so that it was the only source of light needed in the space. Thousands of tiny mirrors practically encased it, shooting beams of candlelight in every direction. The walls were painted a deep, rich wine (or perhaps blood) red, with any wood bordering and accents in dark ebony – just like her wand.

Across from the door leading out to the hall was a little seating area, although Jack wondered who she could be entertaining in here that he didn't know about, with an antiqued red velvet loveseat backed up against the wall. A simple rectangular wooden coffee table sat before it with two high-backed armchairs matching the loveseat positioned near the corners of the table farthest from the larger piece of furniture. A pile of folders and papers spilled out across the table next to a huge glass plate supporting a mountain of Oreos. Jack noted that quite a few were mysteriously missing.

On the section of wall to his right was a fantastic display of every sort of weapon one could ever hope to see, all mounted carefully on the wall, and many of which Maxu probably would have sold his soul to wield in battle even once. A few of the more eye-catching pieces were a set of gold-and-turquoise Egyptian daggers, a solid silver bow and arrow ensemble, a massive jewel-encrusted scimitar, and a set of three fencing swords with pure black onyx handles and clear crystal blades – they were beautiful, but Jack knew they were certainly not intended for use. Nyx's armor sat inside the wardrobe it arrived in at the center of the display, still awaiting repairs from the battle with Voldemort where he all but obliterated the plate covering her stomach. Hanging directly above it was the deadly sword he gave her for Christmas – notably positioned so that it too was in the spotlight.

To his left in the first wall section was the half-open door to the assumedly large and exquisite bathroom, and to the left of the loveseat across from him another room behind a closed door. Between those was a surprise; a stereo system even more expensive-looking than the one Maxu received for Christmas, with a neat stack of every Nine Inch Nails CD released to that day – singles and all – sitting on top of it. A few other random CDs lay in a forgotten heap on the floor, and not one was apparently very well-liked compared to the obviously treasured ones above. A very large Renaissance-era painting hung over it, with other works of art scattered over the rest of the walls as well.

Across from the stereo was a wide doorway with a thin black veil of a curtain for a door, trailing a little on the five-or-so steps up to what appeared to be Nyx's sleeping area. Through the semitransparent fabric, Jack could see a rather small rectangular room with a bed and what might be a fireplace.

"Nice room," he said in awe, lingering on the wall of weapons.

"Isn't it? Designed and decorated it myself," Nyx replied cheerily as she made her way to the stereo.

"You did a damn good job," he said, letting his eyes wander around the space again. It was an infinitely huger honor to be dragged enthusiastically into Nyx's room, much more than simply being allowed in, and he wanted to make sure he got the most out of the experience. But as he noticed how the room seemed just right for her, he failed to notice another person anywhere.

"You _will_ listen to this whether you like it or not, and I promise that you _will_ like it," Nyx said from her place next to the sound system, pretending to be bossy. She was holding a remote control in one hand and a brand new CD case in the other. "I'll assume you've heard about the new NIN song coming out this year – " Jack nodded happily " – and I can tell you right now I am not waiting until freaking _May_ to get the single. So…I just got _this_ today." She held out the case for him to inspect; it was a soundtrack for some movie called _Lost Highway_. "19 galleons, 12 sickles and 28 knuts to get it shipped here on priority because it was just released today, but it was worth it! Look at track 3 on the back."

Jack did so, and his face immediately lit up. "It's on here?"

Nyx simply pressed the play button on the remote with a huge grin on her face, and "The Perfect Drug" began to play. Her second-in-command merely gaped at the speakers as they blasted out his new favorite song.

"That is _it!_ I am _not_ listening to one more moment of this Muggle _trash_ you call 'music'!" a supremely irritated voice snarled. Jack nearly got whiplash because his head turned to the armchair closest to the stereo so fast. To his mild surprise, Edgar's pale ghostly form suddenly stood up form the seat, glaring at Nyx in a very condescendingly annoyed sort of way.

"Who cares," was Nyx's flippant response in between mouthing along with the lyrics.

"_You_ should," the butler snapped. "Are you going to look at these or not?" He jabbed at the pile of folders on the coffee table with a silvery finger.

His master stopped in the middle of "_I come along but I don't know where you're taking me_" to stare at the papers beside her Oreos until the refrain was about to begin, when she said lightly, "Eh, I'll do it later." Nyx then started actually singing along with Trent Reznor (vocalist of Nine Inch Nails) and dancing a bit. "_You are the Perfect Drug, the Perfect Drug, the Perfect Drug…_"

Edgar glared at her for another verse, and as the line "_without you everything just falls apart_" was sung, he drifted through the chair he'd been 'seated' in and towards the door, saying very loudly as he did so in order to be heard over the music, "Come find me once you look those over, will you?"

Nyx nodded as she lipped "_My blood wants to say hello to you_" and Jack pinched himself very hard to stop himself from laughing at her obviously nonexistent dancing talent. With a final indignant huff, the ghost floated through the door and down the hall in one direction or another.

_That woman…_ he thought, rolling his eyes and not caring where he went. _She shouldn't be so bloody carefree no matter how good of a day she's having. I swear, every time something good happens to her she acts like the world's turned to rainbows and lollipops, and then when something bad happens she takes her rage out of everyone else like it's humanity's fault she's cursed. I ought to find her a good shrink. Maybe one of them could fix her up so she's not bipolar on top of insane…_

But as he was so involved in his thoughts, Edgar didn't see the person lurking in a dark doorway, waiting for him, and was terribly startled when he heard a cold, taunting voice drawl out, "Wellll, wellll, wellll, if it isn't my very good friend Professor Eldridge."

Edgar froze in horror at the sound of that voice. He slowly turned to face the source of it with a look of stark terror on his already pale face. "…_you_…" he barely breathed when he set eyes on the only person he had been expecting to see. "…172…the Recovery…"

"Oh, thank you so _very_ much for remembering my name," 'The Recovery' replied venomously. "I should hate to think that old age has taken its toll on you. Oh, but wait. You're dead. I suppose you don't age after you die, do you?"

The ghost just stared at him with a mix of fear and loathing, and didn't say a word because of his failed voice.

"No, I didn't think so," The Recovery said quietly. "Then again, I wouldn't know, would I? I can't become what you are. I'm a _monster_. I'm inhuman. I don't think or feel or behave like everyone else. I'm strange. I'm frightening. I'm fascinating. I'm dangerous. I can _never _be saved…Does this sound familiar to you, _Professor?"_

Edgar was shaking now; whether it was fright, or rage, or maybe even guilt, it made him look utterly pathetic in the Recovery's eyes.

"But the bottom line…" he continued in that soft, deadly voice. "…is that I am evil. _Pure fucking evil_, Professor. Did you never think that perhaps I didn't want to be what I was? That I didn't want to be a monster? That I didn't want to be evil? That I didn't want people to look at me and think that I was an unholy beast, incapable of redemption and worthy of nothing less than the most horrible death imaginable?"

The butler now looked like he would have really liked to be sick. He had heard almost the same words from Nyx years ago.

"…but it doesn't matter anymore. What's done is done, right?"

Edgar nodded stiffly.

"Yeah. What's done is done. Martyred in the name of progress. _What. A. Pity_." The Recovery shook his head slowly and sadly at Edgar as he looked at him with nothing but the falsest sympathy. "And look what it got _me. _Life's not fair, is it? No, I don't think so either." Edgar hadn't answered. "Well, it's been fun, but I do hate to keep you from all your important business concerning that Monster Master of yours – that's right, I know what she is. But don't you go and tell her, now. I want her to find out on her own. If she can't do that, I'll tell her myself. I'd like to see the look on her face. Might give me a _real_ laugh for a change."

The butler hadn't so much as fidgeted or taken his pale, ghostly blue eyes from the face of the man before him, and he still did nothing when he dissolved into thin black mist after a simple, "See ya." The mist soon dissipated, and the man called number 172, nicknamed "the Recovery," with golden, wolfish eyes and brown hair that stuck up about a foot in the air, who renamed himself Ripley von Engel, was gone.

--- to be continued in Chapter 22 : Je Sais ---

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**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (With exception of Nyx, Jack, Edgar, Ripley and everyone else.) All NIN lyrics belong to Trent Reznor. 

**A/N:** FINALLY! It's done! A _HUGE_ thank you again to everyone for being so paitent with me! I really, really appreciate it! I would reccomend moving straight on to next chapter after you read this before you forget what happened because it all ties together like that. Well...after you read the rest of the stuff here, that is.

**General Notes:** I am such a smartass for calling this "Jack's Lament" at the last minute. But it fits so _perfectly_...Anyway, yeah, someone out there is probably mad at me for making him suffer like this, but you just wait until you read thenext chapter. He gets a lovely break for a change. Me hope you will likey.

I love Anna. I really do. She makes me giggle. Tragically you won't see her again for quite a while after the next chapter, but don't worry - she'll be back. (lol Terminator lol)...(lol Arnie lol)...(lol Governator lol)...(lo stopping lol)...

I am now going to run up to random people and yell "aimes-moi, s'il-vous-plait!" (love me, please) and see what happens. God, I love French sooo much. -dork-

When Jack says "_I wasn't planning on maxing out my V-Card tonight, you know" _what he mans is he wasn't planning on losing his virginity. That saying came from a good friend of mine, which she got from her older brothers. Ironically, it's the same girl that Anna's modeled after...except my friend isn't as perverted. -cough-

Okay, I apologize to everyone who doesn't like/know them, but I _**ADORE**_ Nine Inch Nails. I made Jack and Nyx like them as much as I do because it gives them something to talk about with _only_ each other, and that's cute. -pinches her own cheeks- There's a LOT more NIN-related-stuff in the next chapter, too, so for anyone who isn't an obsessive NIN fan like me, replace "NIN" with**_ your_** favorite band, and hopefully you'll get the right effect. :D

19 galleons, 12 sickles, 28 knuts is roughtly equivalent to $95 USD...which is even more proof of how much Nyx likes NIN. I wouldn't pay that much money for shipping in a million years, and if anyone else would do differently you must be sickeningly rich or a couple fries short of a Happy Meal. By the way, the _Lost Highway_ soundtrack really did come out on Feb 18th, 1997, and if you look back, starting at chapter 15, it _really is the 18th_. And I _did not plan that_.Is that freaky and convenient or what?

And GASP! is all I have to say about the last several paragraphs.

**Names:** "Eldridge" means old counsel, which is a pun on his age and how he often gives advice whether anyone asks for it or not. I realize that "Edgar Eldridge" sounds similar to "Edward Elric" (Fullmetal Alchemist) but it's nothing more than a coincidence. I hadn't read FMA when I decided Edgar's last name, so there was no influence.

**Preview:** The thing you've all been waiting for...or maybe hoping I would never write...the FLUFF! And some other stuff. Just go read it.

**Final Words:** ...fuuuuuck. My computer just found a Trojan in the Temporary Internet Files. Goddamn sitepopups... -virus scans entire harddrive- ...good god that took a while. Hopefully it's gone now...If I "go away" for a while then now you know why. -nervous-

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**Hiya:** (for the first review) Glad you liked the Monty Python stuff. The Frenchman has to be my favorite part, too - which is why I had to make Jack do an impression of him. :D But now you know Ripley's not pure comedic relief, although he certainly seems like it on the outside...This doesn't mean he'll stop being funny, you just know that there's another side to him now. 

When you read the next chapter you'll find out why Nyx is nicer to Jack than anybody else, and a little bit more about Kalixius. Incidentally, if she did indeed ressurect him, it wouldn't be until long after she explained what happened, so it would make sense and whatnot. And I'm glad you like Jack - he seems to be pretty popular. You probably thought he was in Ravenclaw because 1) Anna was a Ravenclaw, 2) he's a raven Animagus, duh, and 3) black hair and blue eyes seem to be popular for Ravenclaw characters, from what I've seen/read.

Sounds like I need to watch a lot of movies this summer. (-laugh- See below.) I've heard of the Horatio Hornblower series because of Christian Coulson, and it sounds like I should go watch. And I don't know if I mentioned this before, but in my English class we were reading/suffering through Great Expectations, and my teacher brought in the made-for-TV movie of it as a visual aide. Now, I go to an all-girls high school, and we are so shallow it ain't even funny. As soon as we saw the guy playing adult Pip, all of us were like, "omg I _love_ Great Expectations!" That guy is none other than Ioan Gruffudd and I know that because I went home that day and looked up the movie for pictures of him because I am a loser like that. So I already knew about him...Is that freaky or what? (I wanna see the movie that has both him _and_ CC in it...-drools on keyboard-)

As far as your story goes...I guess I would have to know Gwen's character/nature/etc. to give you anything _really_ good, but I have my own little thing going on with different kinds of jewelry and objects that are meaningful to the recipient (example: Snape gave Nyx her wand for V-day, that was VERYmeaningful to her). Also like the snake ring from Jack to Nyx, you could do something that Gwen wouldn't typically like to get as a gift (such as Nyx hating jewelry), but make the gift fit her likes and personality so that she really does like it (like the snake ring).

Also keep in mind what Tom is trying to tell her with the gift, whether it's "let's be friends" or "I love you" or "I hate you" or whatever. Different gifts convey different ideas depending on who gives and recieves them, and what the gift actually is. When Jack gave Nyx the snake ring, he was telling her "I know what you like and I want you to be happy and have nice stuff." I'm a symbolisim junkie, so you might be able to do something along those lines as well, again keeping in mind what message dear ol' Tommy Boy's trying to get across.

There's another thing that goes along the "meaningful" path which is actually going to happen in _this_ fic, and it might help you or it might not. It depends on your story, but it works for mine, so I'll try to tell you enough, but not too much, so you can get the idea. There is a female character that recieves a marriage proposal from a guy she loves very dearly, and he thinks the ring he got for her is something she would like. Its not _perfect_ for her like the snake ring is for Nyx, but he thinks she'll like it nonetheless. It turns out that the ring belonged to her mother, who has been dead and gone for a significant amount of time, and who had a very good relationship with her daughter. Meaningful? Most definitely. Like I said, might not work for you at all, or maybe it'll inspire you in some way. Hopefully I was of some help, and good luck!

(Can you tell I just LOVE thinking stuff like this through? -gigglesnort-)

(for the second review) That's how I am with this fic - pouring all my creativeness into it, I mean. And I know exactly how you feel with the "feeling drained" thing because that's what happens when I write a super-long chapter and just want to get it up there, but oh gnoez it's not done omg death. ..yeah. Something like that. The King Arthur fic sounds interesting, but is it one where you should see the movie first? Because I'm positive I haven't. -sadness-

Speaking of which, I swear on my fingers, you are the 10th person to ask me if I've seen X-3 or not, and you're the 10th person I have to tell "no, I haven't even seen X-1, or whatever it was called." But I've already been told 9 times to go see all three ASAP, so that's one of my "things to do over the summer" now.

And as far as annoying me goes, you won't annoy me unless you either stop reviewing, start writing really pointless, un-helpful reviews, or get impatient and really bitchy when I don't update right on time. I love reading what you write, though, so feel free to write all you want. :D

(Number of words used to respond to your 2 reviews: 922. -Kavi's _new _personal best, lol-)

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**Results for SUPER-HAPPY-ASK-THE-READERS-TIME!**

**Nyx/Jack:** 3 votes

**Sakura/Maxu:** 1 vote

**someone/Giant Squid (suggested by dearolddumbles77):** 1 vote (2 including me, hahaha)

**ANTI-Nyx/Jack:** 1 vote (-shakes fist at Shannon- Go read the next damn chapter and tell me if this is still a 'boring' pairing!) (...by the way she only doesn't want Nyx to have him because she wants him for herself. Lol, she's the first fangirl for one of my characters. ...actually that's besides me, but I'm the creator so I don't count. -grin-)

If anyone else feels compelled to vote for the first time or add another vote after reading this or the next chapter, go right ahead. I'll post the results as I get them.

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**--- k**avi-**s**ama **---**


	22. Chapter 22: Je Sais

Chapter 22 – Je Sais 

Ten playbacks of "The Perfect Drug" and one "Mr. Self-Destruct" later, Jack and Nyx were having a grand old time discussing their favorite NIN songs. _The Downward Spiral_ was playing at a subdued level in the background for effect, and because neither wanted there to be silence when there was NIN to be heard on such nice speakers. Gradually, one thing led to another, and because it was NIN they were talking about, they got onto the subject of which song was less socially acceptable; "Closer" or "Big Man With A Gun."

"It's obviously "Closer." The refrain is "_I wanna fuck you like an animal_," for chrissakes." Nyx said, taking a bite out of an Oreo as she lay sprawled across the loveseat in a very unladylike, but comfortable, way.

"But "Big Man With A Gun" talks about putting a hole in someone's head just so that he can screw it!" Jack rebutted from his place in the armchair nearest her feet, which was turned so that they were looking straight at each other. "I don't care where you live; _that _is not 'right' by _any_ means."

"Okay, well, how many times does he say 'fuck' in each one?"

"Four in "Closer," _eleven_ in "Big Man With A Gun.""

"…oh yeah."

"Hmph. And you call yourself a fan. You don't even know how many times he drops the F-bomb in his songs. _Dis_graceful."

Nyx sat up in the seat and placed her hands on her hips, saying indignantly, "_Not_ a fan? O-ho-ho, you ain't seen _nothin'_ yet!" With that, she pulled her wand out from nowhere and tapped the nearest painting on the wall with it. The moment she did so, every painting in the room began to revolve in their small, moveable wall sections, to reveal around 15 NIN posters on the other side, most of which mainly consisted of Trent Reznor.

She got up and walked over to the stereo with the glass-encased collage of a poster advertising the "Self-Destruct Tour", a photograph, and a few tickets hanging above it. She pointed to the photo said triumphantly, "This is me _with Trent fucking Reznor_ at the Self Destruct Tour, 8 pm, Friday December 9th, 1994, Madison Square Garden, New York City, which was also _signed_ by the man himself, and is my most prized possession! Here we also have a poster from the show, my VIP Pass to the show, my backstage pass, my ticket stub, and a strand of Trent Reznor's _hair,_ which I plan to use for cloning purposes in the near future! **_Who's the fan NOW?"_**

Jack looked like she had just declared that she was going to have Voldemort's babies, and she refused to name any of them after Jack. "…I _hate_ you."

Nyx stuck her tongue out at him in a very childish way and "hee-hee-hee"-ed a few times. She stopped when Jack seriously looked like he'd been stabbed through the heart as he got up and looked closely at the picture of her and Trent Reznor, with his signature in black on the corner.

"So _this_ is why you left that day!" he said as it dawned on him. "Meeting an old colleague _my ASS!_ You went to a NIN concert and didn't tell me! Worse, you _left_ me here with the rest of these idiots who don't even know what the hell NIN is!"

"If I had known you liked them so much I would've taken you along," Nyx replied honestly.

Jack was still gaping at the VIP Pass in jealous amazement and hadn't really heard a word she said.

"Okay, how about this," she offered. "Next time NIN has a concert I'll take you."

He finally pried his eyes from the nice little display of the artist's hair to look at her hopefully. "Do I have your word on that?"

"Of course you do!" Nyx said with a grin. "I may fall into the habit of lying every now and then, but I _always_ keep my promises!"

Jack smiled and said, "I look forward to it, then."

"…but then if I'm bringing you, someone else is bound to think I'm practicing favoritism. Is there anyone else that would want to go?"

"I don't really talk about it to anyone, but I would be surprised if you and I were the only NIN-obsessed people here. I would think only one or two, maybe three, though."

"That's because it's a Muggle band, right?"

"Right. You should ask, though. We could get a little group of NIN Fans Only and act all superior to everyone else, forcing them to start liking the band just to be cool, and therefore make Trent Reznor rich because they'd go buy his shit to look convincing, and he kicks ass and deserves it so it's all good."

Nyx laughed and said, "He'd come thank you _personally_ for carrying that plan out. While I'm thinking of it, does Ripley like NIN?"

Jack sighed heavily and retreated to the armchair. "He likes a few songs, but not enough to buy anything or have more than a 30-second conversation about them. He thinks I'm insane for being so obsessed with them, but I don't care, especially since I now know someone else who's just as obsessed as I am." He gave his master a pointed look as she flopped down on the loveseat again, snatching an Oreo as she did so.

"Birds of a feather, you know," she said casually.

"While we're on the subject, what do you think of the Wild-Haired Wonder?" Jack asked, trying to sound as casual as she was even though he was desperately nervous about her answer.

Nyx chuckled at the nickname and replied, "He's definitely entertaining, just like you said. He seems pretty nice, if a bit too outgoing at times. But I think he's the type that aims to please, so it makes sense. I guess I have this weird respect for people like that because I know I could _never_ try to make everyone happy all the time."

"That's all well and good, but there's nothing else to him," he said, not quite relieved yet. "With Ripley, it's laughs, laughs, and more laughs. And if you're not laughing, he'll do _anything_ to make you start. I think he has some kind of phobia that makes him morbidly terrified of anything not lighthearted, cheerful and fun."

"Hmm. That could get annoying no matter how good his intentions are."

"I figured you would say that. I personally don't think you and he are overly compatible. He's much too lighthearted for you."

Nyx raised an eyebrow at him amusedly. "And you know this about me how?"

"Observation," he replied with a smirk. "Maxu annoys you the most when he's fooling around and you don't want him to, no matter how amusing he's actually being, and you've said before that you often appreciate a serious conversation more than a bunch of jokes, no matter how funny they are. That, and people often prefer other people that have things in common with them. You're about 80 percent serious and 20 percent comedic; you can be _extremely_ funny when you want to be, but most of the time you don't or won't. One would think that you would prefer being around someone who's similar, and I know for a fact that Ripley is 95 percent humor and 5 percent something other than serious – _more_ than your total opposite."

"…that is _precisely_ why you're my second-in-command," his master said, grinning proudly. "You see things other people don't, and you see them _very_ clearly. I'm glad you told me that; it makes me happy to know I still made a good choice."

"Actually I didn't see it completely until today when you were laughing so much," Jack said. "I'd never seen you like that before, so it sort of changed my perspective and made me think a bit. It's like when I look at you now, sprawled out on a couch, in a Muggle band t-shirt and Muggle movie slippers, eating Muggle cookies, you're like a whole different person – nothing like the person you usually are, who would never be caught dead in any of that. It's hard to believe you're a pureblood when you're like this, Nyx. Usually you tend to hate Muggle stuff."

"That's why I don't go around telling people I love NIN and Monty Python, and why I'm only acting like this around one person; you. I don't love Muggles, but I certainly don't think they need to be eradicated from the face of the earth. I guess I like their stuff more than I like them – with the exception of Trent Reznor, of course."

"Of course."

"Matter of fact, at least four people are convinced that I was a Muggle in another life."

"Well, then make it five because I can believe that without even trying."

"Ha ha ha."

"By the way, this is also the most casual and friendly I've ever seen you act with a subordinate. You're nothing like the surly, scary, crazy evil overlord you usually are."

"Well, I don't mind being less uptight and a little more personable now and then, but only around certain people. For example, you."

"Any particular reason?" Jack asked, trying very earnestly to hide his curiosity and hope.

"Well…there's the trust thing…and you seem to understand me better than anyone else working for me…" she replied after doing away with her twelfth cookie. "For example, everything you just said, plus you almost always seem to do what I want you to without having to tell you, and I blame that on your perceptiveness. It's almost like you know what I'm thinking and what I want…little creepy sometimes, but far more useful. You're also the easiest to put up with out of everyone under me because, like you just said, you and I have quite a bit in common in personalities and interests."

"I don't need to ask what you mean by that," he chuckled, smiling.

"…and there's one other thing I shouldn't really use as an excuse to be nicer to you," Nyx said a bit more quietly. Only after she saw that Jack was extremely interested did she add reluctantly, "You remind me a great deal of someone who was once a very, _very_ close friend."

**Tch. "Friend," she says.**

"And who's that?" he inquired innocently.

"…someone I'd rather not talk about," she answered softly, staring at Oreo number 13 in her hand. Slowly, she added as if she wasn't quite sure she should be saying it, "That fang around your neck came from the monster that killed him."

Jack instinctively reached for it but kept gazing at his master. "What sort of monster?"

"The worst kind there is," Nyx said simply. "One that was once common, but is now almost extinct. That's undoubtedly for the better, though. People think demons and werewolves and vampires are bad; they should come face-to-face with one of _these_. That beast could tear a hundred humans apart within a minute, and never give a shit about it. They don't feel because they don't have souls, and therefore they're capable of more horrific things than you could imagine. The most dreadful ones _enjoy_ killing mindlessly, and do it as a 'hobby.' They…they cause a lot of pain, and they cause it with a grin slapped across their faces. They make me sick."

**Oh, I'm positively flattered. **

Jack waited in silence for her to go on, but when she began to lapse into a brooding session, he spoke up gently, "If these monsters are so dangerous and powerful, how did you get one of their fangs?"

"I pulled it out of my friend's body after he died."

He immediately wished he hadn't asked from the deep wound reflected in her voice. "…I'm sorry, Nyx…"

"Don't be," she muttered. "It happened a long time ago and there was nothing anyone could have done to prevent it. So don't be sorry. I don't need pity and neither does he."

A heavy, uncomfortable silence followed as Nyx had no more to say and Jack was afraid to say anything no matter how much he wanted to. He didn't want to reopen an old wound for her no matter how curious he was. Eventually, the woman suddenly looked back at her subordinate and spoke rather calmly.

"So, to answer your original question, Ripley sounds good for a laugh but not much else. Exactly as you described him to me. But now I'm starting to second-guess myself about all that laughing being such a bad thing…Maybe Maxu was right in saying that I needed to lighten up…it's been much too long since I've been that amused by anything that wasn't dark and generally not considered 'right' to laugh at…such as people I hate dying…"

An even more uncomfortable silence followed her final, quiet words, telling Jack very clearly that it was time for a new topic of conversation. "So," he began lightly, but not _too_ lightly. "What did Edgar have shoved up his ass today?"

Nyx smirked but didn't really laugh. "He's just being his usual pain-in-the-ass self. He got those –" she nodded to the folders and papers, "- for me today and expected me to drop everything and go over them as soon as they were in my hands. It's not urgent or time-sensitive, so it can wait until tomorrow as far as I'm concerned. And if I say it's waiting until tomorrow, it's waiting until tomorrow because I'm the boss, goddammit."

"What's it about?" Jack continued conversationally in order to keep her from gong silent again. He leaned forward in the chair to try to read some of the printing on one of the papers sticking out. It looked like a detailed psychological evaluation, but the name of the subject was hidden beneath another folder.

"Nothing interesting, I can assure you," she said, quickly getting up and taking the information with her. As she wandered in the direction of the closed door, she added, "Mostly numbers; inventory, budget, taxes…you get the idea."

Jack knew she was lying and couldn't help but feel that familiar feeling of indignation, frustration and anger at the lack of honesty on her part. He considered telling her what he thought as she scooted into the room for a moment, only to reappear without the folders, but he decided not to try to argue with her tonight. He needed to keep her in a good mood, and on good terms with him, so he began a rather innocent conversation. "So…you remember that New Year's Resolution you made?"

Nyx grimaced a little as she shut the door behind her. "Yeaah…"

"How's the boyfriend hunt going for you?" he asked with a playful smile.

His master hesitated to answer by getting back into her seat first. "…let's just say I have plenty of options."

"Then why haven't you done anything yet?"

"You know me; I do things when **_I_** want them done, not when it's convenient for anyone else. I have yet to see any particularly good opportunities present themselves, so therefore I haven't seen any merit in doing anything."

"Yeah, sure. You're probably just shy."

"I am not shy! If _you_ were on my list of potential love interests, I could make a move _right_ now if I wanted to!"

The playfully taunting look fell from Jack's face to reveal one of blended hurt and disbelief that she had really said that to his face. _It's Lord Psycho, you idiot. She's insulted you plenty of times before. You brushed them off, so do the same to this one. _But he couldn't. "…that was _low_."

Nyx laughed in delight and replied, "I know. I have to keep you in your place, you know. I'll be nice and friendly to you, sure, but only to a point. I'm still your master."

_Great. I only amuse her when I'm taking insults. _Jack grumbled mentally. _I feel **so** loved. _He let her know this by a particularly wounded look, which surprisingly had some effect on her.

"…alright, I'm sorry. That was a bit _too_ low," Nyx said in a rare tone of apology. "Still want to go to the NIN concert?"

"Hell yes!" he blurted. "I wouldn't care if you told me my mother was a hamster, my father smelt of elderberries, my sister had the brain of a duck, and I was an empty-headed animal-food-though-wiper; it's _NIN!" Not to mention you've honestly apologized to about four people in the whole time I've known you, and I'm unbelievably happy to be the fifth._

The woman laughed, this time with him and without the cruel edge it had before. Once it wore off, she leaned back lengthwise on the loveseat, staring up at her posters and smiling placidly. She blinked a few times without letting the smile fade form her face and asked, "By the way, why were you here in the first place?"

The 24-year-old-who-never-had-a-girlfriend took a long, steadying breath. _Here we go…Anna, you had better be right that this'll work or I'll resurrect you myself just so I can kill you… _"This doesn't mean what it sounds like it should, but could I sleep with you tonight?"

Nyx blinked again, but didn't turn her eyes towards her most trusted minion. "I'm sorry, did you just say what I think you said?"

"Most likely."

"As in, the polite form of 'I wanna fuck you like an animal'?"

"No, I said it _didn't_ mean that!" Jack yelped, feeling his face grow very warm. "For the past two nights I've gotten about 7 hours of sleep total. I tried sleeping potions, but they didn't help. I think it's because I've been away from you."

"Wait, wait, _wait_." Nyx interrupted, tuning her head to face him and giving him a rather odd look. "Is this going anywhere it shouldn't?"

"Not at all. I read somewhere that everyone has this 'aura' thing around them, and if one person gets used to being around another for long periods of time, their auras become 'linked' or something. Weird stuff is supposed to happen to at least one of them when they're not around the other because of the 'link' thing, but it's only a theory and hasn't really been proved yet." _Actually I just miss you more than you know, and I can't help but worry about you if I can't see you. That and I keep myself up at night thinking about you, but let's stick with the 'aura' nonsense, shall we?_

"So…you think that's why you haven't been sleeping?"

"Yeah. I've been around you pretty closely for the past couple months, so it makes sense. Like I said, there's no proof, but if they're right then that's probably why."

"…so you want to experiment?"

"If you don't mind, yes."

Nyx did not look particularly convinced.

"Look, you _know_ I'm not gonna try anything. I'm _not_ stupid. I'll sleep in my Animagus form like usual if you really want. If I still can't sleep, then we know the 'aura' crap has nothing to do with it even if it _is_ true, and I won't bother you again."

His master sat there contemplating him for a few moments more, trying to detect his real intentions without Legilimency. She couldn't see anything unsound with his reasoning, and she couldn't see him having an ulterior motive. It just didn't seem to be his nature to ever have one. When he got her the beautiful black-and-white-diamond snake ring, she somehow knew that he only did it because he knew she would love it and wanted to make her happy, probably to stay on her good side. That, and because he seemed to understand her in such an unnatural way, she assumed that he knew she would hate any kind of jewelry unless it was something really suited for her, and he had hit that nail on the head perfectly. It had never crossed her mind that he did any of it out of love, or even the tiniest bit of affection or caring.

"Okay."

Jack looked a little surprised and relieved at her short, simple answer as he thanked her, but Nyx refused to think anything of his relief and merely reminded him that if he got any _brilliant_ ideas, "your ass is going out the window faster than you can beg for mercy." He said that he was quite aware of that and would never even think of trying anything _under his own free will_. The Imperius Curse and love potions were a different story, however. _And so is sleep, but I can conveniently forget to mention that one._

Almost an hour passed after the agreement was made because the pair had found plenty of new things to chat about, from where Nyx got all the impressive weapons on the wall to where Jack got his NIN shirt. Jack was extremely happy that she said "okay" and showed it with great subtlety as they talked by making her laugh when he sensed that she was willing to, and being more serious when she seemed to want to hear it. This put her in a fantastic mood, just as Anna predicted, and Jack was forced to think, _If this keeps going well I may just have to thank her._

"Good shit, is it really 12:19?" Nyx blurted when she saw the small clock that was once hidden by the mountain of cookies – currently, it was wide out in the open on account of there being only 5 Oreos left on the plate, and 5 being not nearly enough to conceal it.

Jack glanced at it and said with a small laugh, "No wonder I'm so damn tired."

"In that case, we should probably both be off to bed," she said in a joking, motherly kind of way. "I'd feel bad if I kept you up any later than you might be anyway." She rose from her seat and made for the closed door again. "I'll be back in a minute."

"I second that if you don't mind me using your bathroom," he said, also getting to his feet.

"Go right ahead," Nyx replied as she disappeared behind the door. Jack immediately scampered silently into the short hall leading to the bathroom, reaching into his pocket as he did so and pulling out a vial full of a pale, somewhat transparent liquid with a mother-of-pearl sheen. _Thanks for making so much Amortentia, Nyx. Now I can use it on you and you'll never notice that one little vial is missing._

But he all but forgot about his plans for the night when he saw the square bathroom; there were black and white tiles everywhere, and the place was just a bit bigger than his own room. The black-and-white marble Jacuzzi (which he knew it was from the little decal on the side) was roughly the dimensions of a king size bed – meaning, larger than his own – but the matching toilet and sink were properly proportioned. A little red bottle on the edge of the Jacuzzi caught his eye, and he had to stifle a laugh when he saw what it was.

"What's this 'Bubble Blood: Vampire-Friendly Bubble Bath' doing here?" he called.

"Oh, god," Nyx replied, laughing. "That was a gift from a vampire friend who forgot I wasn't. He said I might still like it anyway. I only used it once; it was, um…interesting. The bubbles were cool, though, because they were all red, except I had to bleach the place afterwards because everything white they touched turned reddish-brown and shitty-looking."

Jack laughed as he replaced it, wondering how someone could forget that their friend wasn't a vampire, and remained completely oblivious to the fact that the little bottle contained one of Nyx's most appreciated earthly delights. A bathrobe hanging on a hook in the wall caught his eye next, and no one could have mistaken it for anyone's but hers. It was fluffy and black and had in menacing red script on the back, "Kiss the ground, foolish mortals!" He wondered briefly where her old one went, but quickly lost interest in favor of the flowers he now noticed scattered around the room in vases and wall-mounted containers; black and white roses.

"_Gee, what a coincidence," _Anna said as she appeared by his side. She had been hovering around since he got in Nyx's room, but she had kept quiet and out of sight in order to not distract her brother.

_Maybe…_ Jack continued looking about the room for anything interesting, but realized that he had found all the fun things already. So, he took a few steps over to the sink and looked into the rather modern-styled oval-shaped mirror with no frame. He stared at himself for a bit, wondering if the bags under his eyes were really that noticeable, if he should try to tidy up his hair before going back out because he looked like he'd just fallen out of bed, if he really should get that mess trimmed before he started looking like Anna, if he really would look that much like Anna if he let it grow out much more, if it had really been such a good idea to wear a pure black shirt because it made him look five times as pale and pasty as usual, if he was too thin, if he was not thin enough, if he should start working out or at least exercising because he looked absolutely pathetic in the muscle department, if his face looked bad from any point of view, if his eyes were too blue, if his eyebrows made him look like a caveman, if his eyebrows looked like they had been plucked or waxed and therefore intensely embarrassing, if he even _had_ eyebrows under his bangs – until Anna brought him back to reality.

"_Quit staring, Narcissus."_

_I am **not** being Narcissistic, dammit. Do I look okay?_

"_I'm your twin sister, what do you **think **I'm gonna say? If I look good, you look good, and I **do** look good, so there you go. Now drink it and get out there before she starts thinking you're constipated or sabotaging her tampons or something."_

_Sensitive as a dull spoon, Anna._

"_You're welcome."_

With his sister watching him over his shoulder, grinning idiotically but still looking very cute as she did so, Jack pulled the stopper out of the vial and with a final _Cheers,_ downed the whole thing. He swished it around in his mouth and gargled it for a couple seconds before spitting it out into the sink as quietly as he could. He then tested his breath by waving a long exhale up to his nose, and grinned hugely when he smelled oranges.

_It worked!_ Anna beamed proudly at the success of her theory as the scent of Jack's breath changed to whatever Nyx used to wash her hair with. He had become fondly attached to that aroma from all the times he perched on her shoulder as a raven, which was why he didn't mind the difficulty of staying on as she walked or the total lack of physical comfort that came with a decidedly less-than-suitable perch.

"_Okay, off with you," _Anna said, shooing him out of the room. _"Don't need to keep your sweetie waiting."_

Jack waved her away, smiling, and noticed only as he walked across it for the second time, the bathmat shaped like a very realistic Oreo. He was still laughing to himself as he exited the bathroom and saw Nyx's vague shape beyond the black curtain on the other side of the room.

"What's so funny?" she asked. As he came closer and pushed the curtain aside, Jack saw that her hair was considerably messier and a bit wavy, her eyes were light and grayish-green and she was crouched on the floor by a massive, ornate fireplace. The black and red marble was carved into images of dragons, serpents and other menacing beasts – which, Jack noted, reminded him strangely of the huge door of ice they encountered in Antarctica. A black, old-fashioned phone sat on top of the mantle collecting dust; Nyx _did_ say she didn't like talking on the phone very much.

The room was only a few feet wider than was necessary for the large fireplace, but it was long enough to accommodate the bed positioned across from it with the foot nearest to the flames. Jack was not the least bit surprised to find black and red, silk and velvet sheets on it, but he was a little taken aback at the excessive amount of pillows taking up a good third of the mattress. They came in all different shapes and sizes, and in different designs and patterns of black and red. A few had patterns or pictures, but nothing particularly unorthodox.

Two small, fragile-looking wooden tables stood on either side of the bed in the corners of the room. A lit black candle on top of one table illuminated what Jack could plainly see was the snake ring on a nice little display. The old diamond-and-emerald ring Nyx wore on rare occasion was displayed next to it, as well as a pair of small interlocking gold rings, shaped like suspiciously realistic snakes eating their own tails. On the other table, a crystal vase held another bouquet of black and white roses, prompting the thought in Jack's mind that it wasn't all just a coincidence that he had given her the exact same kind of flowers only a few days before.

Directly across from the arch he stood under was a wide, panoramic window – the only one in the entire suite – that gave a view of the mountains to make the most beautiful postcard hide it's face in shame. _No wonder she likes being in here so much…_ Jack thought. He could have easily spent hours looking out at that flawless view, which the design of the pane-less window only made even more breathtaking. It probably looked even more amazing during the daytime.

"Only _you_ would have a bathroom that looks like a giant Oreo," Jack replied with a highly entertained smile.

Nyx laughed as she lit the fireplace. "What were you expecting? Pink? I'd rather chew my own ass off. Are you going to mind the fire if it stays lit all night? It gets a bit cold in here sometimes."

"I'm sleeping in here?" It was the most honestly surprised thing he could have said at that point.

"Why not? I keep telling you that I trust you, don't I?"

"Well, yeah, but you didn't seem too thrilled about it before."

"Yes, that was _before_."

Jack decided not to say anything in case he gave himself away by it, so he went with plan B and changed the subject. "So, do you always sleep looking like that?"

Nyx rose to her full height, which to Jack's pleasure was finally not more than his own, and said with a chuckle, "Yeah, because I fit in the bed better this way. With all the pillows, if I'm any taller than this I can never stretch my legs out if I want to, and that can get pretty uncomfortable. But I like the pillows and I'm usually too lazy to move them after I get comfortable, so I just sleep like this."

"That makes sense," he said with an approving nod. "So, where are you putting me?"

Nyx crossed her arms and looked around thoughtfully. Her light eyes lingered on the mountain of pillows, and she had an epiphany. "How does sleeping on a pillow sound?"

"I'll assume you mean in my raven form, because there's no way I would fit on a pillow like this," Jack chuckled. "But, yeah, that sounds alright. Let me test it first, though." He took a step away from the wall to give himself room to transform, but just as he was about to do so his foot caught on something and he tripped. When he looked down to glare at the offending object, he saw what appeared to be a doggy bed at the foot of Nyx's bed.

"Oh, sorry. I should really move that," his master said. "That's Louis' bed-thing."

"Ohhh…" he said. "By the way, what happened to him? I haven't seen him in a couple days."

"He's been kinda pissed at me lately," Nyx replied with a slightly annoyed sigh. "Wherever he is, he's busy being a spoiled little brat. He'll show up eventually, though, especially if I say I'm going back to Hogwarts. He'd come running in a heartbeat, he's so loyal. …well,_ slithering_, not running…whatever."

"Why's he pissed at you?" Jack asked with innocent curiosity, although he was certain it had something to do with Voldemort.

"…it's…complicated," she replied carefully. "We'd be up until dawn if I explained it, and you said you were tired, so…"

"Fair enough," he said before kicking off his slippers and morphing into the raven and flapping over to the pillows. He landed on a particularly squishy red one right next to where he hoped Nyx's head was going and said, "This is a _nice_ one…I think I'll stay here if that works for you."

Nyx nodded from the foot of the bed as she waved her hand at the door across the room, double-locking all the bolts and enchanting it with several privacy-protectors, and then at the chandelier, extinguishing the lights. She left her bunny slippers at the foot of the bed, turned and began walking towards the table with the candle on it, about to flick a finger at it to blow it out, when the phone on the mantle rang. Nyx's outstretched hand immediately clenched into a fist and she frowned irritably. She spin around and stalked over to the phone, snatching it up and snarling into the receiver, _"What?"_

Jack watched as she listened for a moment, then roared, **_"No, I have not looked at the papers yet! Ask me again and I won't touch them for a week! GOOD NIGHT!"_**

Nyx slammed the phone back down without waiting for a response and stomped back towards her side of the bed, muttering, "…damned butler…" The candle blew itself out, leaving only the warm glow of the fire across the room to illuminate her as she crawled in under the sheets and let her head fall onto the pillow next to the one Jack lay curled up on.

"'Night," his master muttered, controlling herself so that she didn't sound like she was angry with him, before turning over so that her back was facing the bird.

"Night…" he replied quietly, pretending to start dozing off.

"_Doing great, just keep it up…"_ Anna's voice said supportively. Jack cracked an eye open and saw a silvery, semitransparent white dove perched on the mantle of the fireplace next to the phone. It grinned idiotically at him and gave him a thumbs-up with its feathers before saying, _"See? I can still transform even though I snuffed it! Isn't that **cool?"**_

_Whatever, Anna…_ was her brother's bemused response as he lay his head back down on the pillow. In a few moments, Anna the Dove was pecking him in the back to keep him awake. If he fell asleep, everything would have been for nothing and there would have been no second chances. So, for the next fifteen minutes, Anna stood over her brother's black, feathered form, poking at him now and then to make sure he was still conscious, and keeping an eye on Nyx to make sure she wasn't dozing off quite yet. It wouldn't be good if _she_ fell asleep either because then she wouldn't know what was going on, and everything would have been for nothing again.

"_Okay, it's showtime, lover boy," _Anna hissed, even though it wouldn't have mattered if she had screamed because Nyx couldn't hear her. _"She **must **be convinced you're asleep by now."_

Anna's confidence wasn't doing Jack a lot of good. Some sort of gremlin-like thing was jazzercise-ing around in his stomach, and he couldn't make it stop. Normally all he got were butterflies, but today it was a lot worse. If he made one little mistake, he'd be dragon chow for sure. Either that, or all that buttering-up he had done with his master would have done him no good because at least one of them would have fallen asleep if he waited too long. At least his sister was there to keep a close watch on Nyx and warn him if she looked like she was plotting something to do to him that he might not recover from.

With a final peck on the head from Anna, Jack slowly crawled off of the pillow and onto the mattress without disturbing his master. He carefully poked his head under the covers and let the rest of his body follow, then turned himself so he was laying flat on his back. As a bird it was terribly uncomfortable, but once he had transformed back into his human state he was fine.

Nyx's eyes opened in surprise as she suddenly felt a weight on the other side of her. She propped herself up on one elbow to peek over her shoulder and see Jack laying there, "sound asleep" and human as can be, before turning back over with a grin and rolling her eyes, then closing them.

Anna gave him the news that she didn't look annoyed or suspicious, so Jack continued with the plan. Suddenly, he turned over on his side so that he was facing Nyx's back, and probably only half a foot away from her at that. She didn't seem to think anything of this because she didn't look behind her this time, and, without his sister's input on the situation, Jack decided to keep going and hope for the best. Inch by inch, he started closing the gap between them until he was close enough to slide an arm underneath her gently, but not as gently as he would have "if he was awake," and wrap both arms around her middle. He was surprised at how cool to the touch she was, opposite of the warmth he was expecting. _That must be why she keeps the fire going to keep it warm in here…_

Nyx's eyes flew open this time with much more surprise than the last. She glanced down to see her second-in-command's arms embracing her gently, but not very tightly. It would have taken almost no effort at all to break free of those arms, and yet there was something preventing her from doing just that. She stayed still for a few seconds, but ultimately couldn't resist turning over just a bit to make absolutely sure Jack was asleep. His acting satisfied her, so she flopped back down on the pillow and decided not to tell him about it in the morning. _He probably thinks I'm a pillow or something. He seems to like hugging pillows while he sleeps…_ She briefly recalled a certain Christmas party when he fell asleep clutching a pillow rather affectionately.

Meanwhile, Jack felt like he was about to die. His heart was hammering against his ribs so loudly he was surprised she couldn't hear it, and it was taking every ounce of willpower he had to keep breathing as if he was asleep, instead of hyperventilating or not breathing at all like his brain was urging him to. Nyx hadn't caught on, though, so he continued with the plan after Anna assaulted his head a few times to "motivate" him. Jack's arms slowly tightened around his master, pulling them even closer together, but not too tight or too close for fear of making her uncomfortable or _really_ pissing her off. He made sure that his hands didn't start shaking by holding them tightly against his arms, but his pulse only increased even higher when he felt Nyx tense up.

"_She looks like she's starting to get annoyed…"_ Anna warned him from her perch on the table facing the woman.

_If she were **that **annoyed she would have pushed me onto the floor by now, _Jack replied sensibly, despite his anxiety. He was doing well up to this point; why should he stop just because she looked a little irritated? _I'm not stopping._

Anna raised her eyes skyward and wondered aloud if he remembered saying "she's gonna kill me, she's gonna kill me!"

_If you don't like it, then leave. I could have done all this without your input, so there's nothing keeping you here_.

The dove's beak hung open for a few moments as she wondered if her brother had really just said that. With a huff, she fluttered off through the window, calling after her, _"Don't say I didn't warn you when you become one of us because she rips your head off and I wasn't here to tell you to duck!"_

Jack didn't care. Everything was going smoothly so far; plus it wasn't like Anna was doing much to help anyway. She was making him more nervous than anything else, and once he was actually carrying out the plan he realized how awkward it would be if she kept yapping as he went through with it, especially if the result was better than he had hoped. She claimed she didn't want to watch, but when faced with temptation…Jack didn't want to think about it. _I'll explain all of it to her later…She'll understand…_

But he didn't have time to think about that right now. He had a Nyx to win over, and unless he went onward with the plan it wouldn't happen _that_ night. So he did, carefully repositioning his head on the pillow so that he could have kissed her neck if he wanted to, which he actually did but didn't think she would appreciate at the moment. Nyx tensed up even more as she felt his soft, warm breath on the back of her neck, prompting Jack to start reciting the mantra "breathe normal, breathe normal, breathe normal" in his head so that she didn't sense his anxiety.

If Anna hadn't left she would have been warning her brother that his master was looking almost as aggravated as when she picked up the phone, but she wouldn't have been able to properly describe the pain mixing with that expression.

…_make him stop…_ Nyx begged in her mind. _…I can't stand this….please, just stop…it hurts…_

**What's the matter? Lose your strength?**

…_of course not…idiot…_

**If you don't want him to hold you like that, rip his arms off. Then he can't hold you at all.**

…_but…_

The pained look was wiped from Nyx's face as a familiar, delicious smell entered her nose. _…why do I smell Oreos? I don't keep any up here by the bed…I probably just had too many tonight, so the smell's staying with me. Either that or I'm getting a craving. Yeah, that must be it._

But when the scent changed from Oreos to an even more enticing one, Nyx was sure that it was more than her imagination. _…oh, sweet mercy! I smell AB positive! _The aroma of her favorite type of blood was almost enough to drive her over the edge with a terrible, aching thirst. She almost allowed herself to turn over and sink her teeth into the nearest source of blood, but she suddenly remembered that Jack was a type B negative, and she would rather swallow an overused baby diaper whole than drink B negative blood even if it meant her death.

_Then why do I smell AB positive? Even if Jack was bleeding for who knows why, it wouldn't smell like **this**… _Nyx wondered if her mind was playing tricks on her until the intense craving for blood came back with a vengeance. She could already feel her fangs lengthening and her senses becoming razor-sharp. She could hear every shifting ash in the fireplace, every quick beat of Jack's heart, and even the faint wingbeat of a dragon soaring around for a midnight snack through the thick walls and closed window. Her eyes were picking up every last facet of every last diamond in her ring with maddening precision, and every gleam and glimmer on the stones from the fire burned into her hypersensitive eyes. She could sense Jack's pulse and every breath he took, the exact rhythm of his body, so vastly different from her own, but she somehow failed (or unknowingly chose not to) sense his fear and anxiety.

But the smell was overpowering her. Nyx tried reaching for the blood ruby around her neck and making a tight fist around it in the hope that it would lessen her craving, but it didn't do any good. The scent was too close and too strong, and she liked it too much. The fact that something full of blood had his arms wrapped around her, asleep, totally defenseless, and all too easy to take advantage of did _not_ help the situation. Her simple thirst was escalating quickly into a crazed desire for any kind of blood, not just AB positive, which began to mutate into a rabid desire to kill. Every fiber of her being was pleading desperately for the ecstasy that came with tearing something apart, hearing someone's final scream, the invincible feeling that came with the total destruction of another, and the sweet, delicious taste of their blood.

A terrifying burning sensation shot through every muscle in her body when Jack's skin brushed against her neck accidentally, electrifying them with energy sufficient to slaughter hundreds. Nyx felt like she was going to explode if she didn't do something about it, but her stomach dropped to her feet when she remembered that she had forgotten to refill the flask she kept near her bed for midnight snacks or emergencies, such as the current one. For a moment she considered biting into her own wrist just to get it out of her system, but she soon remembered how unhealthy it was for a vampire to drink it's own blood and how the taste of it would probably only make her craving worse, not to mention it wouldn't satisfy any of her nagging thirst. If she didn't come up with something quick she was going to lose control to the vampiric side of herself, and she hated to think what could happen.

For only a moment, a part of her spoke up, asking, "Why am I fighting this? It's nature, isn't it?" In that moment of doubt, Nyx unconsciously lessened her control over herself, and lost it completely. When she flipped over to face her minion without making him lose his hold on her waist, bared her fangs and prepared to drive them into the first thing they could reach, only one thing stopped her from ripping Jack's face off:

**Mind yourself, Onyxsus.**

The mention of her despised name brought Nyx back in control not a moment too soon. When she opened her eyes, she found that her deadly teeth were a paper's width away from Jack's only slightly parted lips. Her pulse skyrocketed before she flipped back over, still in his arms, but now with her hands clamped over her mouth, ignoring the nails digging into her skin. Her eyes were wide and horrified at what had almost happened, and what already had; she lost control. _Again._

_What the hell is wrong with me?_ She asked herself in a panic. _Why does this keep happening? Why do I keep losing it all of a sudden? It's never been this bad in my life! And the obvious consequence has never been so unbearable either…_

Nyx winced at the thought of tearing Jack apart with her bare hands and teeth. _No…that can't happen…I won't let it…I can't hurt him…not him… _The memory of his face so very close to hers from mere moments ago flashed into her consciousness. She had never seen him that closely before, and it did nothing but reinforce what she had thought for years.

Slowly, Nyx turned herself over once again so that she was facing the sleeping man. As soon as she seemed to have settled in, his arms tightened around her a bit as if to tell her to stop moving around. She lay there and gazed at him for a while, studying his every feature. Every single one matched, from the way his slightly shaggy raven hair fell across his face as he slept to the exact shape and hue of his lips; there was no mistaking it. It made Nyx ache to admit it to herself, but not nearly as much as what she had almost done to him.

Her hand slowly raised itself to Jack's face and allowed her fingers to trace lightly down his pale cheek almost as if she were testing to see if he was solid. Jack inadvertently shivered just a bit at her cold touch, which seemed even colder because he was starting to feel warmer than usual in the facial region. As soon as her long, slender fingers left his skin, Nyx's hand curled up and shrank back to her chest convulsively. Her eyes hadn't left her second-in-command's face, and they now reflected agonizing guilt and sadness.

**Oh, you're being a _dreadful_ idiot, Nyxie dearest.**

…_what in hell are you talking about?_

**Don't start that with me. It's not healthy to fight nature, you know. If you need blood, take it from wherever you can get it. **

_I am **not **biting him, and there is **no** way you're going to make me._

**This is why you're an idiot. The 'him' you keep referring to, the one you almost bite-kissed a minute ago, the one with his arms wrapped around you, the one that loves Nine Inch Nails as much as you do, is named Jack, _not Kalixius_. It doesn't matter that he looks identical to your first love; he is a different person. **

_I'd believe that if they didn't act the same way too…_

**It's a coincidence. Nothing more. Jack is not Kalixius' reincarnation, no matter how much you want him to be. There is no such thing as reincarnation. **

_Perhaps, but there **is** my Recycle Theory._

**What, the one where after someone's been dead for so many years their appearance and personality is reused in another person? That's even more laughable than reincarnation. **

_I've seen the proof, and so have you – through **my **eyes. Jack and Kalixius aren't the only ones. _

**I'm telling you it's a coincidence for your own good. If you keep believing in this nonsense you're just going to get hurt in the end when you finally realize it's not true.**

_Oh, and you'd just **hate** to see me get hurt, wouldn't you? If you think my Recycle Theory is nonsense, then I think that's bullshit. _

**Now really, you're just being stubborn. If you keep believing that there's a connection between the man before you and the man you once loved, you're going to end up destroying one just like you destroyed the other. Do you realize how close you came to killing Jack when you lost it just now?**

…_yes…_

**If you lose it again, he'll probably be the first target you choose simply because of what you believe. That was what happened when you killed Kalixius; it will happen again if you keep thinking that Jack is his reincarnation or whatever. **

…_I won't **let** it happen._

**It's not a choice of yours to make, kiddo. You didn't choose to murder Kalixius, and you won't choose to do the same to Jack, but it will still happen. As a carrier of Sang Maudit Syndrome, you have no choice but to kill the people you care about most when you lose control, and you _will _lose control. It's a proven fact and you need to start accepting it. If you keep thinking that Jack is the equivalent of Kalixius you're only going to be putting him that much more in danger.**

…

**And it's even worse that you're only nice to him and care about him because he reminds you of Kalixius. If he didn't look and act and sound just like him, you wouldn't care at all, would you?**

…

**That's what I thought. Now, do yourself a favor and get all these stupid ideas out of your head before you do something either of us regrets. **

…_I can't…_

The Beast heaved a huge, annoyed sigh. **Look, just a minute ago you were complaining that you didn't want him being so close and affectionate to you, and now you don't seem to have much of a problem with it. You said it was causing you pain because of the guilt you carry for killing Kalixius, and because Jack looks identical to him it's especially painful because you could never be in a situation like this with Kalixius, again, _because you killed him, _and, again again, because Jack looks exactly like him it's as if you really _are_ here with Kalixius, _but you're not_ I don't think you can even tell the difference between them anymore. **

_And what if I don't care?_

**Then you're _triple_ the idiot. Kalixius is _DEAD_, Nyx. Get it through your thick skull before I have to _force_ it though. **

_And what if I **still **don't care?_

**That doesn't change the truth of the matter. You _know_ that he's dead, Nyx. _You_ killed him. _You_ tore his body in half. It was _your_ fang that was pulled out of his corpse. It is that _same_ fang that now hangs around Jack's neck, the same one that killed your beloved Kalixius, whom Jack is the mirror image of. What _were_ you trying to do by giving him that to "guard," anyway?**

…

**Still giving me the cold shoulder, hmm? Insolent brat. **

_I'm not being a brat._

**Is that right? Well, forgive me for being such a fo-**

_I was biding my time for **this.**_

For the first time in far too long, Nyx summoned all of her willpower to fully silence the Beast and lock him in a dark corner of her mind, where he would have a very difficult time escaping to torment her. She would have laughed in the glorious triumph of it if it weren't for the sleeping man next to her.

As she continued to stare at him, an impish grin crept across her lips. Although silenced and controlled, the Beast could still see out of her eyes, except now she wouldn't be able to hear his snide comments. _I deserve a good fantasy just as much as the next guy. I **definitely **don't care what that bastard thinks, and I have a feeling that if he wakes up, Jack won't protest or be angry. Today's been a great day, almost from the beginning until now…Why shouldn't it end just as well?_

Nyx called on every drop of her imagination as she closed her eyes and thought determinedly, _"Kalixius." _Her lids slowly lifted, showing her someone that she had convinced herself was her long lost love. Her imagination got a rest, as she barely needed to repeat her thought as she gazed affectionately at him.

_It's been much too long… _she thought as if speaking to him. _I've missed you terribly…I'll bet you've missed **me **even more…You probably worried about me night and day too…You always did that, whether I needed to be worried over or not…But I never complained because you did it out of love, and if I complained about you worrying too much I would be complaining about you loving me too much, and no one in their right mind could complain about **that**…_

_You don't have to worry about me anymore, though. I'm a lot stronger than when I last saw you…I can't be hurt as easily…All the wounds I've ever received have built up a lot of scars, and now those scars protect me from pain…So there's nothing to worry about anymore…_

Nyx's arms reached around his torso and pulled them as close as they could be. They fit like the pieces of a puzzle, but there seemed to be something still missing. Neither of them knew and neither of them cared because they were happy enough to be that close to one another. Nyx placed her head beside Jack's, but lower, so that his lips were level with her eyebrows. _I have never stopped loving you, Kalixius. I hope you know that._

_She must be sound asleep…_ Jack thought, holding in a laugh. He opened his eyes cautiously to peer down at what appeared to be a sleeping Nyx. The man's lips curved into a smile as he thought,_ She looks so…**human** in her sleep. Like she's totally innocent and harmless, and perfectly normal. I wonder what she's smiling about, though…Maybe she thinks I'm that old boyfriend of hers. Whatever the case, I hope it stays that way. I don't want her to let go…not ever…_

To his surprise, Nyx's eyes opened and her hand flicked at the fireplace. The flames died out, probably because she had all the warmth she needed from Jack. Her hand fell across his back again and her lids fell shut again. _…okay, not **completely** asleep, but she must be at least drowsy enough not to think clearly, since she's clinging to me like this…unless…_

His free hand slowly crept up her back to start stroking her hair idly. There was nothing special about the feel of it, but he found it very calming._ Everything has gone perfectly so far…Who the hell says I can't act unlike myself for one day and take an unnecessary risk?_

The hand rested on the back of her neck as Jack slowly moved his head forward. His lips touched her forehead in a feather-light kiss, and before he moved away, whispered, "…je t'aime, Nyx…"

_French is the language of love, so even if she doesn't speak more than a word of it, she should still understand that it means "I love you." _

To Jack's utter amazement, Nyx replied.

"Je sais."

His eyes snapped back open as any feeling of drowsiness vanished._ Di…did she just say "I know"…in **French**? But…she can't speak French…I **know **she can't…Did she lie to me **again?**_

_…"I know"…what in hell is that supposed to mean? She knows **what**?_

She _thought_ she knew that Kalixius still loved her, just as she still loved him. But Jack remained blissfully oblivious to anything going on inside her head as he lay there, holding her protectively in that dark room, wearing a Nine Inch Nails shirt identical to hers, and wishing that he had the nerve to wake her up and admit the truth, even though she never seemed to do it herself.

--- to be continued in Chapter 23 : (title to be decided) ---

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (With exception of Jack, Nyx, Anna,and so on.) All NIN stuff belongs to Trent Reznor. 

**General Notes: **All the stuff with the Self-Destruct Tour is accurate, although I'm pretty sure no one cares. I'm just really anal about having everything "right" whenever it's possible. -shrug- Just felt like pointing that out.

The stuff that was in the folders is very, very important and will be explained in the somewhat-near future. It has to do with Edgar's background, Ripley's background, and some other stuff that I don't think I should mention just yet.

I don't know whether the Amortentia-mouthwash thing would really work, but considering the nature of it, I would think so. In any case, it worked here, and not with the expected effect at ALL. Now that you've read all that, you know why Nyx didn't describe herself (the "monster" that killed Kalixius) very nicely.

Anyone who noticed the snake rings before you read this sentence gets an e-cookie. (This is Kavi subtlely telling you that it's important to notice.)

The Fluff wasn't quite what you were expecting, was it? It's more like Dark Sad Fluff for obvious reasons, but it's Fluff nonetheless. There may be some real, genuine, honest-to-goodness Sappy Romantic Cutesy Fluff in the future, but at the moment I have no set plans. (I can think of characters to use for such a situation, but how I would work it into the story is another issue...)

**Preview:** Snape is..."incapacitated" and can't teach for a while, but why is it's all Nyx's fault? And since Snape can't teach, someone needs to fill in for him. Who better than our good buddy Dumbledore...until he sends Nyx on a long and mildly disturbing philosophical rant about good and evil. Warning: this chapter will contain cute fluffy kitties. (The title hasn't been decided yet because I don't know if I can fit all of that into one chapter, and if I can't I might have to change the title and that's a pain.)

**Note to everyone who voted for Jack/Nyx, or were ANTI-Jack/Nyx:** Just out of curiosity, have you changed your minds or anything after reading this? -hums innocently- (-glares pointedly at Shannon- Still think it's 'boring'?)

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**--- k**avi-**s**ama **---**


	23. Chapter 23: An Evil Perspective

Chapter 23 – An Evil Perspective

"Good day to you, Albus. Minerva, Pomona, Filius, same to you. So sorry I'm late. Your little messenger had a bit of trouble finding me, I'm afraid."

"That's quite alright, Horace. Please take a seat, if you like."

Dumbledore conjured up a squishy armchair for the Potions Master as he waddled into his office. Professors Sprout and Flitwick were seated in similar chairs around the large desk, each looking a bit perplexed, while McGonagall paced about the cluttered room restlessly. The Headmaster seemed just as calm and collected as usual despite the message that had been delivered to him not too long ago.

"If I may not be rude in doing so, I would like to ask a favor of you, Minerva," Dumbledore said lightly.

She stopped mid-step and turned to him, looking a bit irritated at the interruption. "Of course, Headmaster."

"Please sit down. I'm sure your feet would appreciate it," he said with a smile as he produced another chair. The Transfiguration teacher sighed heavily as she obliged.

"Something is very wrong, I can simply _feel_ it," she said. "She was much too abrupt when I asked her where Severus was, and she refused to say why she wanted all of us here."

"Of course she said why," Slughorn threw in as he helped himself to a glass of mead he conjured up. "She said she needs to talk to us."

"She didn't say what it was about, though," Sprout said, glancing at him. "Right?"

McGonagall nodded quickly before turning to Dumbledore purposefully. "Albus, I think something's happened to Severus. It might have something to do with the Death Eaters, or her father's death…"

The old man continued smiling peacefully as he turned his blue eyes to the door and said simply, "I believe we are about to find out." And not a moment later, a hesitant but clear knock sounded from other side of the door. "You may enter, Miss Harthcrow."

The door eased open halfway and Nyx slipped into the now rather crowded office. As she did so, she glanced backwards at something near the floor, looking rather grim and apologetic. The door fell shut after a gentle push, and Nyx turned her eyes to her worried teachers.

"Good day, Ariana," Dumbledore greeted her pleasantly. "I hope you are having a good one thus far." He raised his eyebrows at her at the end, implying that is was a question cleverly disguised as a statement.

"Well, not particularly, although I appreciate the sentiments," she replied in a tired voice.

"What's the matter?" Slughorn asked, genuinely interested.

"Before I say what's wrong, I imagine you've all noticed the absence of my new guardian," Nyx said heavily. This was met with concerned nods, and especially from McGonagall.

"Where is he?" she asked rather urgently before Nyx could continue. "Did something happen?"

"Uh…yeah, you could put it that way," the girl replied. She added a bit too lightly, seemingly not noticing that everyone looked quite alarmed, "We, uh…We had a little accident, and –"

"What happened?" "Who did it?" "Is he alright?"

The girl twitched a little and held her head at the loud outbursts. "…if you think you could, would you _please_ try to not make a lot of noise? I have a splitting headache right now and noise is not helping it go away. Now, what happened and whose fault it is can be answered at the same time. Yesterday when Severus came to see how I was doing and bring me back here, I made him go out for ice cream with me because I wanted some and he was being his usual self so I wanted to make him be pleasant for a change – I don't need to explain since you all work with him, and by the way, congratulations for putting up with him for this long –" More than a few of them chuckled.

"Anyway, while we were eating, we started talking, and, as usual, one thing led to another and we started arguing about something really stupid. I got mad and fired a curse off at him –"

"You _what?" _more than one teacher blurted in surprise and alarm.

"- and all it was **_supposed_** to do was turn his hair bright pink and make it all fall out when he tried to turn it back to normal. However, that did not happen. I don't know how, I don't know why, and I don't know how to fix it. I've already tried everything I could think of, and _nothing_ worked. Professor McGonagall," she said as she turned to her. "You're the transfiguration teacher, and a very talented one at that. I know how impressed you've always been with my performance if your class, and that you have always been kind and helpful to me since I first set foot in this school. But, and I say this as respectfully as possible, I think this may be even beyond your skill." Nyx paused to let that sink in a bit.

"I asked all of you to be here for a few reasons," she continued. "One; with any luck, _someone_ will be able to fix the problem at hand. Two; even if we can't fix it, I'm sure the heads of houses and Headmaster – and Horace, of course – can come up with a temporary solution. Three; you five are the only ones that Severus trusts enough to witness the state he's in and not tell another soul of it. And he would like me to reiterate that under _no_ circumstances is **_anyone_** else to know what's happened until the problem is solved for good."

"Ariana," Dumbledore interrupted without the pleasant tone from before. "What's happened to Severus?"

Nyx took a deep breath, reached for the door handle, and sighted, "See for yourselves."

As the door swung open, everyone was expecting to see a horribly disfigured DADA professor looking ornery as ever and probably 10 times scarier than usual, but reality was miles from it. Sitting on the top step outside the door was a skinny, lanky little black cat with an elongated face and glittering emerald eyes. It would have been a rather attractive animal if it weren't giving everyone in the room a death glare as it's upper lip twitched, prepared to snarl at the first person who opened their mouth…which happened to be McGonagall.

"…S…Severus?"

The cat nodded stiffly and it's lip twitched again.

Under most circumstances, no one in their right mind would dare to laugh at Severus Snape to his face. This was not the case at present on account of the fact that Severus Snape was now a fluffy little kitty. And that fluffy little kitty was the surliest, most foul-tempered fluffy little kitty any of them had ever seen in their lives.

Snape-the-cat's ears were flattened against his head as his fur began to puff up and he hissed furiously at his coworkers, who were currently in hysterics. This only made them laugh the louder when they realized that he couldn't speak properly any more. For some reason, though, Nyx could understand every foul word he snarled at them as if he was speaking perfect English, and she felt that it was for the best that no one else could either. As if the current situation weren't infuriating enough, the ridicule he was being forced to endure was pushing Snape towards his limit. Nyx saw this and decided to prevent an ugly scene and a certain furry someone losing their job as a result of leaping on someone's head and clawing their eyes out.

"Okay, okay, you've had your laugh," she said peaceably to the group. "He's in a bad enough mood already; you don't want to make it worse." The professors thankfully had the sense to listen to her and calm down, though it definitely didn't help Snape's mood. McGonagall was, again, the first to speak.

"I must say that I'm rather relieved," she chuckled, wiping a tear of mirth from her eye. "I was certain something obsolutely _horrible_ had happened to you, Severus."

The cat glared at her and flicked his tail violently.

"…er, well, I mean, _worse_ than what already happened," she corrected herself. Snape seemed more pleased with that answer and relaxed the glare. As she rose from her chair to approach the cat, McGonagall asked Nyx, "Is there anything unusual about the transfiguration?"

"Nothing serious, I shouldn't think," the girl replied. "The only odd part is his eyes, and they just changed color. I'm not too surprised, though, because I doubt it's possible for a cat to have black eyes. Everything else is as it should be, from what I could tell."

The Transfiguration teacher looked thoughtful as she peered down at her coworker, who stared back up defiantly. McGonagall knelt down to have a closer look at the cat, but when she reached out a hand to touch him, Snape crouched down with bared teeth and hissed threateningly as his fur began to stick up again.

"I wouldn't try to pet him if I were you," Nyx said quickly. When the older woman looked over at her curiously, the student rolled up her sleeves to display her badly mauled forearms. "This is what happens when kitty doesn't want to be held, or petted, or touched in any kind of way. And _these_ are just from this morning. You don't want to know how bad they were yesterday when he was **_really_** mad."

McGonagall's hand shrank back at the warning, but as it did she gave Snape a very piteous look. She had seen plenty of cases of human-to-animal transfiguration gone wrong in her time, and he was very lucky to have been in such good shape. Other people had a hand where a foot went, an extra arm, or a missing leg, among other strange and unpleasant problems.

Snape may have been in one solid, uniform piece, but the fact that it was a cat was a whole other topic. McGonagall had seen the sort of agony a person went through while in a transfigured state like that, especially when it went wrong or it wasn't of their doing. Because they usually couldn't use their wands, they couldn't change themselves back on their own, and so they had to endure intense embarrassment by getting someone else to help them. In this case, though, McGonagall wasn't sure she could help Snape.

Nyx was her best Transfiguration student in years, and if _she_ couldn't manage to do anything useful to the transformed teacher, there was a pitifully small chance that she herself could do better. But there was also Dumbledore, who had been a Transfiguration teacher years ago and was obviously extremely talented in all forms of magic. There was a very good possibility of his being able to help the poor man if even Nyx and McGonagall could do nothing. But if even _he_ couldn't turn Snape back to normal…

"So, you really tried _everything_?" Slughorn asked his old friend in amazement as she leaned against the door. "And absolutely _nothing_ happened at all?"

"Well, I tried everything _legal_," she replied with a smirk. "The only thing that changed was him getting more and more irritated. I tried just changing the color of his fur to see if even that would work, and I would have spent the time better slamming my head in a door. I really don't understand what I could have done to mess that spell up so badly…"

"I can't say I do, either," McGonagall sighed as she rose to her feet again and knitted her brows. "I've seen human transfiguration go wrong before, but I've _never_ heard of it being irreversible." Snape did not look happy at that statement. "Don't fret, Severus, we'll figure something out. I think I need to do some research first, though, so I can get some ideas on how to undo this."

"But between now and then, what should we do?" Flitwick piped up. "He certainly can't teach like that."

"A substitute can be easily found," Dumbledore said serenely. He didn't seem all too worried about the DADA professor, but he wasn't offering much help either. "Until he is back to his normal self, Severus will be declared as "on sick leave." It isn't entirely a lie, really."

"But what's he going to do then?" Sprout now asked, gesturing to the cat. "Just hide somewhere until we figure out how to fix him?"

After a short series of growls and meows, Nyx said, forcing in a laugh, "Uh, professor? Severus would like me to let you know that if he ever hears you or anyone else refer to 'fixing' him again, he is going to rip your face off with his bare claws."

The Herbology teacher looked honestly surprised, embarrassed and apologetic (not to mention a little scared) as she explained to the cat that it came out wrong.

"How did you know what he said, Ariana?" the Headmaster inquired innocently enough, but with an unusually clouded gaze.

Nyx shrugged. "I have no clue. Whatever he says sounds like perfect English to me. It might be because _I_ turned him into this, but why that would happen, I haven't the foggiest."

"Hmm. Interesting," Slughorn murmured thoughtfully. "But that doesn't help what to do with poor Severus. Obviously he can't be walking around like this; it would be very suspicious if someone decided to ask where he came from…"

With a flash of inspiration, McGonagall said, "Then we'll hide him in plain sight. Students _are _allowed to have cats as pets, after all."

"Wonderful, Minerva!" Flitwick squeaked as he clapped his hands together. "No one would suspect anything! Now all we need to do is find someone to play the part until we get this all straightened out."

"I'll do it," Nyx said immediately. "I can understand him and put up with him more than most people. It's appropriate for me to be stuck with him anyway."

"But what are you going to tell people when they ask about him?" Sprout asked as her face fell. "Even _I_ know you haven't got a cat."

The girl thought carefully for a moment before saying in a voice that she hoped sounded a little unsteady, "I can tell them he was my father's cat, and considering the circumstances, I am the only one who can take care of him now. As to Severus, I'll go along with the "sick" thing, and say that he hates cats and doesn't want one in his house, so the cat's here at school with me." She turned he gaze to her 'guardian' and asked, "How's that sound?"

Snape nodded grimly. "If that's the best you can do…"

"He says that's fine," Nyx translated with a rather too-cheerful grin.

"Er, yes. That sounds quite believable," Slughorn assented a bit uncomfortably. Nyx was very glad that he had the sense to act appropriately, and, thankfully, the others followed his lead.

Each of the professors agreed with the plan, and in a few minutes the group had dismissed. Flitwick, Sprout and Slughorn went to their respective classrooms as there were only 10 minutes before the day's classes began. McGonagall was free until second period, so she made for her office to begin scouring her personal library for anything to do with human-to-animal transfiguration. Dumbledore remained in his own office with his usually clear eyes clouded with thought.

Nyx and Snape-the-cat were walking side-by-side towards the Slytherin dorms to retrieve the student's books. Snape was still in the foulest mood possible and talkative enough to let his 'owner' know.

"…I honestly think they forgot I was in the room half of the time, the way they were talking about me," he growled.

"Oh, grow up," Nyx said. "They weren't insulting you."

"Pity is insulting to _me_," he replied, glaring up at her. "I should think you of all people would understand that."

"I do. I'm just defending them because they were trying to help in whatever way they could, which isn't really possible anyway," she continued calmly. "You should be thankful they were willing to help at all from the way you act towards everybody…"

"Oh, and never mind the fact that this is all _your _fault in the first place."

Nyx ground to a halt and glared down at the cat furiously. "I've said it a thousand goddamned times, Severus. I did _not_ do this **_on purpose! _**If I _had_, I would be able to undo it, and I **_can't! _**I would _never_ do something this cruel to you over such a stupid, insignificant argument! If, for instance, you let something slip in front of Dumbledore, _then_ I would! But that hasn't happened, and it had better not, or you'll turn into something _twice_ as humiliating as a cat!"

Snape had stopped as well and was glaring back up at her with cold anger. "It doesn't bloody matter. You can turn a whole city into a fireball at the drop of a hat, kill a dragon without blinking once, and massacre hundreds in a matter of minutes; you should be able to do something for _me_."

He turned his back to her and began stalking off towards the dungeons, but stopped again when she spoke despairingly. "I can only do that stuff when the Beast cooperates with me! You know that! If he doesn't have at least a little bit of control over me, I can use only a _fraction_ of my power! I can't do anything about it if he doesn't want to do what I tell him to!"

The cat whipped around and roared at her, "Well then you had better start getting some control over that part of yourself because _I can't live like this!"_ He turned and continued walking away without another word, leaving Nyx to stare after him, feeling very useless.

By the time they reached the common room, the girl had caught up with the cat, pulled him off the ground, ignored his yowling protests, threatened to yank his tail out if he didn't stop clawing at her, and was now carrying him firmly under one arm like a sack of potatoes. Snape didn't look much different than normal as he scowled nastily at everyone who dared to look at him the wrong way, despite his rather pathetic position.

When she reached the dorms, Nyx dropped him unceremoniously onto the bed so she could gather her things properly. Louis, now just over 4 feet long, hissed indignantly at the cat when he landed on the basilisk's tail.

The snake stared at Snape for a few seconds as if he was deciding whether or not he was dreaming. _"Hey, mum? What's this cat doing here?"_

"_Don't ask," _she growled menacingly.

"You seem harassed," a voice said bemusedly. Nyx looked in the direction of Jack's cage and saw him looking back at her innocently. He may not have known what she said, but he could tell by her tone that she was _not _happy.

"No shit," she responded much more unpleasantly than she meant to. Ever since that night, she had made it a point to be a bit nicer to him than she usually did, even though she always was anyway. Nyx felt better when she was kinder to him than anyone else because that's how it used to be with Kalixius. She could be a right bitch to the whole world, but she would always control herself, no matter how difficult it was, when it came to him. It helped her to think that she was atoning for her murdering Kalixius by being nice to Jack.

But when she thought back on it, she was actually pretty cold to him the morning after. Nyx woke up first by dumb luck, scooted out of his reach, and stuffed a pillow into his arms. The way he instantly grabbed onto it and pulled it closer let her know that he hadn't really noticed her leave. She exited the room within a few more minutes because she didn't want to face him too soon after all that happened. She was afraid that she'd start acting suspicious or unintentionally avoiding him, and he would get too curious or figure out that something was up. Knowing him, if she made one slip, he could make a very good guess as to what happened while he was asleep and misinterpret it. Heaven knew she didn't need him to think that _that _happened.

Jack had had similar thoughts upon waking that morning to find himself hugging a pillow. He was a little disappointed that he didn't get up first because if he had, he would've had breakfast brought up for both of them, like he planned, and maybe he would have been able to tell Anna something more exciting because the morning was more eventful. She was generally unimpressed at everything that happened after she left, and she claimed it went so "poorly" because she wasn't there to tell him what to do. Jack ignored her, naturally, and was still just glad it went that well. He had so many ideas of how the night could have turned ugly, and he still didn't realize how close it had come to the scenario where he ended up dead.

Nyx hadn't forgiven herself for that, either. She wouldn't tell Snape, but that was why she wouldn't try to let the Beast make him human again. She was quite sure that he could do it, but at what cost? If she could come so close to killing Jack under her own power, she didn't need to find out what would happen if _he_ was in control. The Beast was cunning enough to blackmail her into giving him total control, only to pretend he couldn't help her friend. Once he was totally in control, Nyx didn't know if she could stop him from doing whatever he wanted., She didn't particularly want to find out either.

She was certain that there was a way to get him back to normal that didn't involve the Beast, but she didn't know if she or anyone else could do it and succeed. All she could do was hope…and ignore the obnoxious comments of her other half ringing in her ears.

"You got a letter just now," Jack said, nodding to an envelope on the small table. "Sakura's owl delivered it, so I assume it's from her."

Nyx dropped her bag on the bed, prompting another angry remark from Louis that he was trying to sleep, and picked up the letter. Halfway through reading it, she let out an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes. "What the hell was I _thinking?" _

"…pardon?" the raven asked curiously.

His master finished reading the note for a second time (a habit of hers; she sometimes missed small details and misread sentences, making them seem senseless, the opposite of their true meaning, or extremely dirty) and said, "Her dad's acting up again. I swear to god, Louis is more mature than this guy!"

"_Hey!"_

After Nyx left Jack asleep in her room, she decided to disappear for a while to straighten out her thoughts and get some time to herself before seeing him again. What better way to do this than to carry out her plan to 'rescue' Sakura's father for her. It was executed _very_ efficiently; Nyx apparated to Matsu Hakubo's Tokyo apartment building, knocked politely on the door, kicked it down when he refused to let a 'freak' in, picked the stupid man up and slung him over her shoulder, ordered some peons to bring his stuff back to the citadel, and disapparated.

Needless to say, Sakura was quite surprised to see her master toting her curse-spewing father in. All Nyx had to say for herself was, "Look who I found!"

Once Nyx (forcibly) convinced Matsu that he was safe there (as long as he didn't call her a "crazy bitch woman" again), she showed him his living quarters replicated perfectly from his apartment (and not improved because he insulted Nyx in at least 4 languages), and he seemed (pretended) to be satisfied. But once he truly realized how merciful Nyx was being by letting him stay there (after witnessing a few demonstrations of very simple spells used in very menacing ways), Matsu became (acted) much more humble. He refused to accept her kindness without giving something in return (kissing her ass repeatedly), and offered to do some sort of work for her (and hope to god she would pay him with either money or food). Since he fit the criteria for the job (and it meant she wouldn't have to deal with him), Nyx made Matsu a Pigeon and put him under direct supervision of Sakura (which absolutely made her day and destroyed his). He could speak (or at least swear in) three languages fluently, with another he didn't know as well (because he didn't like Switzerland anyway), so he would hopefully be (more) helpful (than hurtful).

But of course it was his permanent job in life to be a disagreeable little brat nine times out of ten, and that would _never_ change. The first day on the job, Matsu obstinately refused to do anything right, no matter how many times his poor daughter explained it to him. Sakura had to go get Nyx at one point because he wasn't even listening any more. She disabled his hearing just long enough for him to start getting hysterical because he thought he'd gone deaf, and then restored it with a warning; if he didn't start respecting his superiors he would get to meet Osiris. No one told him who or what Osiris was, on their master's orders, but it sounded ominous so Matsu behaved.

The second day wasn't as bad, but the man still did little stupid things to annoy everyone, and obviously hated having to treat his daughter as a superior. He came very close to mouthing off at various people a few times, but his fellow Pigeons made it a point to have someone near him say "Osiris" in the middle of a sentence just to mess with him. It kept him in line and provided some quality entertainment, so Nyx had no issues with it.

Matsu's third day on the job was by far the worst. He did what he was told efficiently, correctly, and as well as he could. He didn't talk back to anyone and didn't need to hear "Osiris" even once. But now that he thought he had the hang of things, he started getting arrogant. He didn't say or do anything outright, but in the way he behaved and phrased things, everyone could tell he thought he was the king speaking to the peasants. They all wished he would just start acting like a 2-year-old again because he couldn't technically be punished for acting superior to them, whether he really was or not. If he acted like that to Sakura or Nyx he would have gotten in trouble, but he wasn't _quite_ that stupid.

The days following went similarly, but none of the minions were willing to report him to their master. For all they knew, she didn't give a rat's ass if he was a jerk to them. She might have been satisfied that he was doing the job right and not causing too much trouble for _her_, and just tell them to shut up and get back to work. Nyx wouldn't have found out about this for quite some time if Matsu hadn't made the foolish mistake of acting superior to the King of the Ego himself – Maxu.

It seemed from the letter that it started off with a harmless conversation. During this, Matsu found out that Maxu was a Muggle-born, and the former started asking some questions. The way he asked these questions let Maxu know right away that the older man thought that he was a freak, and that he _chose_ to be a freak because he was born to non-magic parents but had the powers himself, and Matsu didn't think very highly of that, so Maxu started getting irritated. He started getting angrier as they kept talking because the Japanese man was actually starting to get ruder by the minute, and the shit hit the fan when Matsu blatantly insulted him to his face.

Sakura didn't hear exactly what her father said, but she guessed it was something along the lines of "I'm better than you and here's why you're a piece of donkey crap." Maxu obviously took it very poorly, and if the Master of Communications hadn't stepped in, Matsu probably would have been rushed to the hospital wing. Her father wasn't the least bit sorry, and actually went on to bad-mouth Maxu because of his temper, so all she could say in reply was, "If you think _that_ was just his temper acting up, I hope I get to see the day he flips out and curses you into next year just because you looked at him the wrong way."

"What the hell _were_ you thinking when you promised to let that guy live with us?" Jack asked honestly.

"I don't know," Nyx sighed. "But I think now is a good a time as any to introduce him to Osiris. If he survives, he'll know better than to act like such an ass again."

"I don't think Sakura would be very happy if you sent him to his death, though," the bird chuckled.

"You're right. And she gets _really_ annoying when she's mad," his master murmured. "I got it!"

She grabbed a sheet of parchment from her bag and tapped it with her wand. When she held it up for Jack to see, he started laughing; it said in huge letters "DO NOT EAT" with her signature underneath. "All she has to do is tape this to her dad's head and he'll be fine. Osiris can read, and he'll know this is straight from me because I signed it, so that means he'll obey it. God, I'm brilliant."

Nyx scribbled a quick note in reply to Sakura's, telling her what to do. She ended it with, "And if that doesn't straighten him out, I'm coming home to scare the shit out of him myself." She didn't want to have to conjure up another excuse to leave school for a day, but she had to admit that she took a very strange pleasure in hearing people scream in terror – especially if she was the cause.

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Nyx entered Slughorn's classroom for double Potions just in time, no thanks to Snape. She decided it was best if she kept an eye on him all day, so she panned on bringing him to each class like she used to do with Louis. The cat tore up nearly all of her sheets in an attempt to stay on the bed and not have to go out in public. Nyx was, of course, the victor in that little 5-minute-wasting fight, so Snape soon found himself sitting rather uncomfortably in the bottom of her schoolbag. That was his doing, though; he felt obsessively paranoid about someone figuring out his true identity and refused to be seen any more than necessary, no matter how many times Nyx tried to convince him that there was no way in hell anyone could _ever_ guess that.

The girl purposely left some books in the dorm so Snape would have more room in the bag, but he still wanted to jump out and claw her face off for making his day progressively worse. The newest problem was that one of the few people that would recognize him had Nyx first thing in the morning, and he would probably start laughing audibly the moment he saw the sorry little cat.

Nyx was able to sit with the Trio again today, to Snape's absolute delight. Apparently, Ernie Macmillan had become a hypochondriac in the week she was away, and was currently in the hospital wing. Nyx reminded herself to act appropriately as her 'friends' greeted her.

"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked with obvious concern.

"Well…better, I guess," she answered carefully. "A little numb, though…"

"Well, if you need anything, just tell us," the Gryffindor said with a smile. Nyx forced a smile back, but it vanished when something jumped up onto her lap.

"If you're going to make me hang around with you all day, I'm going to be as annoying as possible," Snape said as he sat down on her legs and peered at her potions book on the table. "I think I might be able to shed a few hairs into your potion and mess it up so you get a bad grade, so that's my goal for the next hour."

"Where'd that cat come from?" Harry asked with understandable surprise.

"You're not the only one who can be nasty around here," Nyx muttered out of the corner of her mouth. She turned to the Gryffindors and said, "This was my dad's cat, but now I have to take care of him because Snape hates cats and doesn't want one in his house."

"Aww, he's cute," Hermione said as she reached out to pet him. Nyx closed her hand on Snape's tail and applied just enough pressure to let him know that if he tried anything, that tail was getting yanked. She could hear him trying to growl at her as Hermione scratched his ears, but she apparently didn't hear it. "What's his name?"

Not bothering to hide her wide grin, Nyx replied, "Pookyface McFuzzybutt, but we just call him Pooky because that's way too long."

Snape nearly got whiplash his head turned so quickly. **_"What?"_**

The other three found this absolutely hilarious, and the miserable cat could only pray for the day he would be able to punish them for being disrespectful; whether they knew who he really was or not was a minor detail, and very easily overlooked. Hermione poked at him for a few more seconds, but Nyx saw that he was ready to snap, so she intervened. "Okay, that's enough petting for Pooky. He only puts up with people for so long before he attacks." She displayed her scratched-up arms to impress them. "He's a bit crabby today, too. Probably because he's not used to things yet…Well, then again, he's always a bit cranky, and he doesn't like people very much."

"Sounds like Snape," Ron laughed.

The man/cat himself glanced up at the girl as if to say, "I _told_ you someone would know!"

"What is it with you and bringing your pets to class?" Harry asked with a grin.

"I don't trust them enough to leave them alone anywhere for an extended period of time," Nyx said, giving the cat a pat on the head. "I haven't gotten any complaints since Louis bothered Pansy that one time, so nobody has much of a problem with it."

Before the conversation could continue, Slughorn made himself known at the front of the room. As he began giving instructions for the days work, Harry opened his book and started looking for the correct page. Nyx nudged Snape in the side, and when he looked up at her curiously, she barely nodded her head at Harry, who was sitting beside her. Snape looked over and his brilliantly green orbs caught the pages of the book instantly. Nyx wasn't surprised to see his jaw drop a bit and his eyes widen, so she repositioned herself a little so he could lean forward and have a closer look.

"Is that my old potions book?" he asked in utter bewilderment. Nyx gave a small nod. "Well how in the hell did _he_ get it?"

The girl scrawled something on a scrap of parchment and held it in front of her friend: _I'll explain it all later. You'll laugh._

Snape rolled his eyes. "Oh, I'm _sure_ I will." At that he hopped off her lap and crawled under her chair to curl up for a nice little catnap.

_Wow. Not only does he look like a cat, but he acts like one too, and so **soon**. _Nyx laughed to herself. _He'll live until we can get him fixed…I mean, back to normal. _

Potions was mostly uneventful after those first few minutes. The Trio asked Nyx more questions about 'Pooky' and she just had the grandest time pulling lies out of her ass to answer them. She was glad that Snape re-thought his idea of sabotaging her work in favor of leaving her alone and going to sleep, which wasn't surprising since he'd been a bundle of nerves since the unfortunate transformation occurred and probably hadn't slept much all night. He seemed to have calmed down, though, and that was undoubtedly the best for everyone.

When the next period started, people started to notice something was wrong when no one was waiting for them with a rather unpleasant look on his face as they entered the DADA classroom. Nyx made it a point to sit behind Harry and Ron because she knew they would want to know what happened to their least favorite teacher, if he was in pain, if there was any chance he could die, if he was already dead, and if he didn't die would he be able to come back and teach. Nyx was sure she could tell them, to their satisfaction, that he was "puking his guts out and generally feeling horrible" in his office or somewhere, and not get caught for talking in class…until she saw who was teaching the class in Snape's place; Dumbledore.

A small wave of relief and excitement passed through the class as the Headmaster made his way to the front of the room, looking magnificent as ever in his deep purple robes. Some people were under the impression that because Dumbledore was teaching them they would be doing something special and interesting, and they might actually enjoy it – or if not that, at least they wouldn't be miserable and terrified all class long.

"Good day, 6th-years," the old wizard said pleasantly as he moved behind Snape's desk. "As I am sure you have observed, Professor Snape will not be teaching today. He's feeling a bit under the weather, to put it lightly."

Harry and Ron turned to look at Nyx with a combination of curiosity, disbelief, and hope. She mimed someone retching violently, and they took the hint with two gigantic grins.

"And, as I am also sure you have all assumed, I will be taking his place for at least today," Dumbledore continued, oblivious to the many students looking so happy they could cry. "With luck, Professor Snape will be back with all due speed. But, until then, all Defense Against the Dark Arts classes will be supervised by a substitute. Now, moving on to today's lesson…"

He trailed off as he began reading what Snape had planned for the day, and announced it while looking directly at Nyx. "Defending oneself against vampires. I am sure you all recall learning about vampires during your third year-" several students nodded "- and the various simple ways to protect yourselves from them. However, what you will be learning today are more advanced methods for more powerful vampires.

"As you recall, a vampire's basic weaknesses include, garlic, sunlight, silver, and various holy objects. These are usually enough to ward off or incapacitate a normal vampire, but there are some cases where these weaknesses are lessened or not present at all. In such a case, the vampire would be extraordinarily powerful with many unique and terrifying abilities not found in an average vampire; such as, a normal vampire manipulating bats and an abnormal vampire manipulating matter itself, or a normal vampire regenerating an arm and an abnormal vampire regenerating an entire body.

"Such unusually powerful vampires can perform extremely advanced dark magic, which can only be countered by an equally advanced defensive spell. Simply knowing and being able to perform such spells is often insufficient when used against a particularly experienced and powerful foe. They are most always capable of finding a way past them, so anyone attempting to defend themselves against an attack must have the ability to adjust to a situation quickly in order to survive. Vampires are notable for being extremely dangerous and clever when it comes to attacking and killing a victim. Therefore, specific spells have been developed in order to provide witches and wizards with a reliable defense against even the most powerful vampire.

"You may be wondering why such powerful beings would need to use magic when physical attacks would work just as well, or better. The answer is rather chillingly simple. Many vampires like to 'play' with their victims before killing them, and these spells make it easy to torture, manipulate and otherwise harm them. Many spells have multiple uses as well, as you will see shortly.

"These defensive spells can be used not only on vampires, but humans as well. Several advanced curses originally used by vampires have been learned and improved upon by humans, and in most cases they are equally potent no matter what species the user is. Death Eaters have been using such spells ever since Lord Voldemort's –" half the class shuddered "- first rise to power, and considering the current situation, the benefits of learning these defensive spells are rather obvious.

"An example of an advanced, dark, vampire-created spell is the simply-named Age Curse. The use of this on a human either speeds up, slows down, reverses or ceases the aging process. It is because of this spell that many vampires seem to retain their youth and live for an unnatural length of time, but when a vampire uses it on a human it is typically to improve their physical status. Since vampires feed on blood, and preferably that of the human kind, they would rather target a weak but healthy victim, such as a young child or an older adult, than prey that would need to be subdued before killing. With the use of this spell on a person, no matter their age, they can become an easy meal for a vampire within a very short period of time.

"This is a perfect example of the evil nature of these spells and why it is wise to be able to defend against them as well as possible. The ability to defend oneself against spells like the Age Curse has been proven to prolong one's lifespan and decrease the risk of taking bodily damage as a result of a vampire's magic. Now, the first spell you will be practicing today is – yes, Miss Harthcrow?"

All eyes turned to look at Nyx in surprise. She often interrupted Snape because she obviously liked to annoy him and didn't care if she made him look like an idiot in front of the class, but to interrupt the widely respected Dumbledore seemed extremely rude and stupid.

Nyx took a short breath before saying very clearly, "I disagree."

Raised eyebrows surrounded the girl as Dumbledore gazed at her with expressionless eyes. "You disagree with what, Miss Harthcrow?"

"I don't agree with your statement of those spells, or _any_ spells, or any_thing_, being of an 'evil nature.'"

"May I ask why?"

"'Evil' isn't definitive, and it's a lousy way to describe something."

"I am…not sure I follow you, Miss Harthcrow."

"You say that these advanced dark spells are evil, right? Evil can mean many different things to many different people. You describe them as your own definition of 'evil,' which, more likely than not, is different from someone else's. What makes you describe the spells as evil?"

Dumbledore took his time answering. "The Age Curse defies the laws of nature for the benefit of an evil being, whether human or vampire or anything else."

"And why are those beings evil? Well, let's just go with the vampires for now. Why are vampires evil…sir?"

"They cause pain and commit murder on a regular basis, and many are well-versed in the Dark Arts or can perform the spells I described not too long ago, with malicious intent."

"Simply using the Dark Arts does not make one evil. Vampires cause pain and commit murder in order to survive. Murder is supposedly the ultimate sin and looked upon as evil in most cultures. And yet when someone commits murder, the murderer almost always receives death as punishment. When someone is being attacked and they kill the attacker in self-defense, it's perfectly alright. When someone is in the process of committing a crime and they are killed in order to be stopped, the murderer becomes a hero. Nearly everyone wants Voldemort –" more shuddering and gasping "- dead because he killed so many people, and nearly everyone is overjoyed when they hear that an Auror killed a Death Eater. So what does that make almost everyone? A hypocrite. So, I would be quite surprised if anyone could still call a vampire evil for killing a human in order to keep itself alive."

"An interesting argument, Miss Harthcrow," the Headmaster said quietly. He didn't seem the least bit concerned with the lesson, but was quite fascinated by what Nyx had to say. "Reading between the lines, are you suggesting that there is no such thing as 'evil'?"

"Yes and no," she replied calmly. "I do not believe that 'evil' exists in nature, or that there can be an object or living thing that is 'evil.' I believe the same for the concept of 'good.' The entire 'good and evil' theory – and yes, I think it's a theory – exists only in people's minds. What is good and what is evil is decided upon by the individual through their life experiences – put simply, their perspective. A child might think that fire is evil if the child burns it's hand, or it may think a soft blanket is good because it's comfortable and keeps it warm. Likewise, an adult may think that a crow is evil because it's a scavenger and feeds on the dead, or they may think that another person is good because they agree with them.

"But there is no set of guidelines for what is good and what is evil. There are religions to tell you these things, but there is no universal, fact-based, infallible determining factor to decide the 'goodness' or 'evilness' of anything. It all depends on perspective. Socialists believe that something is good if it promotes happiness, and something is bad if it promotes pain. But what is painful to one person may bring joy to the next, and vise versa. Think about a masochist; they enjoy pain, so where does _that_ go?

"Death is both good and evil, and at the same time neither good nor evil. Death at the hand of another is evil for many different reasons, but death due to illness or old age is usually good for just as many reasons. One factor involving both of these is whether the person should have died or not; someone suffering through an illness would want death because it relieves them of their pain. Someone murdered for seemingly no reason would be considered a wrongful death because they were innocent. A person threatening to kill a hostage and being killed as a result would be a deserved death because the near-murderer was going to kill another person – and yet someone still died. All of these reasons are different because there is more than one perspective on the subject. …And don't even get me started on the "crime-and-punishment" stuff again.

"Various creatures and beings are considered good or evil for many reasons as well. Vampires are evil because, as you said, they cause pain and death. Phoenixes are good because they are beautiful, life-giving and are associated with positive immortality because it is inherent in their species. Vampires are immortal, too, but theirs is in a negative connotation because in order to sustain it, they must kill. And yet people forget that a phoenix is capable of pecking someone's eyes out with it's beak, and that a vampire can use its immense power to save someone's life.

"Those things may not happen very often, but it is not impossible by any means. Nothing can be pure good or pure evil because everything with a free will is _capable_ of doing both good and evil. Whether it actually does something good or something evil or neither is another story.

"Like good and evil creatures, people are also connotated this way. A good person is often the one the most people can agree and identify with. An evil, or 'bad', person is one who is different from most other people, like the black sheep in the white flock. But, again, one person may see the evil person as good and the good person as evil, because their perspective is different. Take Voldemort – oh, knock it off – for example. Majority of the world hates him, thinks he's evil, and wants him dead. His followers, however, think that he is good, right, and support him as best they can.

"Isn't that exactly the same as what most people think about Rufus Scrimgeour?

"Because of all these different ideas of good and evil, there is bound to be a dominant belief, which soon becomes the unofficial 'correct' belief. This belief tries to define everything as good or evil, and occasionally in-between, and this leads to all the hypocrisy. It also makes life a living hell for anyone who doesn't agree with it, because they are automatically connotated as evil because they are different. And the people who agree with the belief, the majority, become good, and then look upon the smaller number of disagree-ers as evil. It's really quite idiotic.

"Now, there are two kinds of supposedly 'evil' people in the world. The first is the person who knowingly, willingly and happily chooses to be evil. From their own perspective, they are good and those who think they are evil are really the evil ones. They act accordingly, and in doing so make 'evil' choices and perform 'evil' actions. Voldemort – shut _up_ already – can again be used as an example of this. He believes that what he does is making the world good because it is evil right now. Since most people don't agree with him, he is called evil.

"The other kind of evil people are the ones who are branded as evil because of the good and evil guidelines invented and accepted by most of society. These people do not choose to be evil in any way, and often are not happy about it. In essence, these people are evil through and through. Their actions, words, beliefs, interests, and so on, are all considered evil. Very few of these people change their ways to 'good' in order to be accepted or looked at in a good light. Most accept themselves for who they are and what everyone thinks of them because it is simply their nature to be different (and therefore 'evil'), but some take it a step further. If society says, "you are evil," even if only for one reason, they start to make every other aspect of themselves as evil as possible, just to spite those who branded them as 'evil' in the first place, and they become the first kind of evil.

"Werewolves are commonly the other kind of evil. I have never heard of anyone ever wanting to become a werewolf, getting their wish through their own actions, and being happy that they got it. Nearly all werewolves were turned into what they are by someone else's actions, which they could not have controlled, and this exempts them from fault. Despite this, werewolves are still hated, feared and thought of as evil, as if they chose to become a werewolf to terrorize people for some unknown reason. Many werewolves accept that the world shuns them, but they generally do not hate themselves because of that. If they accidentally pass on their disease or kill someone else, then there will of course be guilt, but usually not in any other case.

"Extremist werewolves are the ones who take it a step farther. They take all the pleasure they can get from being what they are, no matter how 'evil' this makes them, and try to exact revenge on the 'good' people for making them outcasts. One way to do this that I've heard of is a werewolf positioning itself near it's victims when the full moon is out, so that when it transforms it will kill and infect as many people as possible, so that they can be hated and called 'evil', too.

"To me, the whole concept of good and evil has always seemed blatantly stupid, naïve, and biased towards the 'good' side of the spectrum. And by that I mean what most people think is 'good' – not what I, as an individual, or any other one specific person, believe to be good. I am aware that it is pure idiocy to think that everyone in the world will ever agree on the same exact things, but that is why I feel the way I do about the concept of good and evil. It causes more pain and death than all the vampires of the world put together because people have wars over what they think is good and evil, and they will continue having wars over it until the end of time because everyone simply cannot agree.

"Whether anyone in this room besides the Headmaster understands me, or if anyone _agrees_ with me, is inconsequential. This is what I believe, and I cannot and will not change it. Whether it's an 'evil' perspective or not, it is my own and if you can't deal with that, don't blame me for thinking that your perspective is more 'evil' than mine."

The classroom was silent as a tomb throughout her entire monologue, and as she began to wind down it didn't change. The students could have heard a spider crawling on the wall as they sat there, staring at Nyx in awe; some because they understood her completely and were _very_ affected by it, and others because she had said it not only in front of, but _to_ Dumbledore of all people – and that seemed very taboo-ish.

The Headmaster himself remained standing stiffly behind Snape's desk, staring at the girl's eyes, just as he had been for the past few minutes. He had attempted Legilimency at one point, despite his usual policy of respecting his student's minds, but it didn't do him any good. Trying to look into that girl's mind was like trying to break through the very ground in search of hell. He didn't want to know what lurked behind those cold, distant eyes of that strange and disturbing girl.

No one had seen it but Nyx, but it was all it took to let her know that she had finally earned the old man's respect; fear had flickered across his face for only a moment, but that moment was enough. Dumbledore was afraid of her, even for just a heartbeat, and that said something to Nyx. If anyone else had seen it and interpreted it correctly, they would have been scared out of their skin by the very idea of her.

"So…in regards to the original matter, Professor," Nyx added as her calm face was broken by a quiet and rather twisted smile. "I would be the most appreciative person in the world if you did not refer to anything as 'evil' so lightly in the future. I know that it is ultimately your own decision, and I respect that, but please consider all that I've just said."

Dumbledore's blue eyes would never be clear and twinkling as long as he had this girl on his mind. "…I will, Miss Harthcrow."

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Nyx was pulled from lunch and ordered to take herself and "Pooky" to the Headmaster's office as quickly as possible. Upon arriving, she saw McGonagall and Dumbledore waiting to tell her that they had a few things to try on Snape to change him into a human again. The witch had found some information that she hoped would be helpful to the cat and possibly make it easier to undo his curse. The girl didn't offer to assist them because she knew that anything they could possibly have thought of, she had already failed with.

That was exactly what happened to the Transfiguration teacher and Headmaster as well. McGonagall seemed terribly unnerved after attempting nearly every spell in the book, plus a few she pulled up out of nowhere in desperation, with no results at all, but she never said anything about a lack of competency on her part. Nyx was glad for this because she knew that that had nothing to do with it. No one said much of anything as Snape's hopes dropped even further, but this time, instead of getting into a rage about it, he just became horribly depressed.

It killed Nyx to see him getting like that, but even if he started getting suicidal she still refused to let the Beast have a go. She would rather watch him kill himself than give the Beast a way to do it for him. Nyx felt cruel saying that to herself, but she knew that it was the only way to go. Perhaps in a week or two, when she felt safer giving her other side more control, she could try to help him again. Whether or not her friend would last that long remained to be seen.

McGonagall dismissed Nyx, and the very disappointed "Pooky," as the lunch period finished, but gave her permission to eat something instead of going to her next class immediately. She felt absolutely horrible for her coworker, but she felt a sense of pity for the girl too. Snape blamed her for what happened even though she obviously didn't do it on purpose, and she seemed to be beginning to agree with him. Nyx didn't need to act to make McGonagall believe that she felt deeply useless in the endeavor to turn Snape back to normal, and that she was extremely sorry for this.

Dumbledore, however, thought no such thing.

"Minerva, may I keep you for half a moment?"

"Certainly, Albus," she replied, turning back into the office from the doorway. "Is something bothering you?"

It was little surprise that she asked this for how his eyes looked. "Yes, and it's been doing just that all morning. Do you find it odd that a 6th-year can perform such a powerful spell that neither you nor I can undo its effects?"

"Well, yes, but I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation for it," McGonagall answered.

"I think so as well. But what has been bothering me is the explanation I have come to."

"What do you mean, Albus? Did she say something to you about this?"

"Not directly, but yes, she did. This morning while I was supervising her Defense Against the Dark Arts class, I referred to something as being 'evil' and she gave me her thoughts on the entire concept of 'good and evil.' What she told me was interesting and very thorough, but not appropriate for a 17-year-old to be saying. She sounded as if she spoke from experience at may times, and considering her age I find it very difficult to believe that she has seen all of these things for herself, in her own lifetime."

"Perhaps her father taught it to her and she was only repeating it."

"Perhaps, but if you had heard her saying it for herself I think you would believe otherwise. She used many examples for points she wanted to make, and one that appeared repeatedly was Voldemort. When she spoke of him, she seemed to be quite understanding of him, almost pitying at some times. She, of course, did not say outright that she agreed with or supported him, but she never said that she didn't."

"What are you trying to say, Albus?"

"This is only a guess, but from Miss Harthcrow's point of view on things, and what she has said to me, I think it is not completely unreasonable to say that she may be a Death Eater."

"Oh, _really_! How could she be one at that young of an age? And even if she were, she would have the Dark Mark on her arm, and both of us saw her arms just this morning! The only thing there were the scratches she received from Severus!"

"…which brings me to another point. Severus' lesson for her class today dealt with the advanced dark magic of vampires. Death Eaters use many of those very spells because of what they can accomplish with them. One of these spells can turn a human body into that of an animal, but while leaving the mind and spirit as it is."

McGonagall's eyes widened.

"The spell is reversible only by the one who cast it. Considering our lack of success in undoing whatever spell was used on Severus, I think it is reasonable to assume that it was one of these kinds of spells."

"B-but how on earth could a girl her age learn such magic? She would have to be a D-" The woman clapped a horrified hand over her mouth before she could finish the sentence.

"A Death Eater, Minerva. We never met Miss Harthcrow's father. For all we know, he was a Death Eater himself, and Miss Harthcrow is a very clever liar."

McGonagall merely stood there in a daze. Never had it crossed her mind that her favorite student could be a Death Eater's child, and the overwhelming possibility that it was true was almost too much.

"I have one more theory regarding Miss Harthcrow, which is the least likely and the most dreadful. In this theory, she is still a Death Eater, and so is her father, and so is her grandmother, Nyx. Nyx attended Hogwarts at the same time as Voldemort did; they were in the same year and house, and both in Horace's Slug Club, if my memory is as good as I hope. There is a very good possibility that Ariana's grandmother was one of the first Death Eaters, and perhaps closer to Voldemort than I once thought.

"I recall seeing both of them together from time to time, but I would not call them friends. They were both brilliant in every class, and for the few times I overheard part of a conversation it was mainly about school-related subjects. This, however, would make Nyx a valuable asset to Voldemort, because she was nearly as intelligent as he. Naturally, Voldemort would want her on his side – I would assume as something of a "trusted advisor" or a "right hand" – and he would most likely have a certain degree of respect for her brilliance. Following this, allow me to paint a rather chilling scenario for you.

"Voldemort decides one day that he would like to have an heir in case he fails to achieve immortality, so that someone could carry on his work for him and achieve his goals. He selects Nyx out of his most loyal and valuable followers to be the mother of his child because she is most like him and would pass on valued traits to the child. She agrees out of loyalty, and a son is born. It is decided that the son will take his mother's surname because of Voldemort's hatred for his own name, and for secrecy. The child grows up, is married, and has a daughter, who is named Ariana."

McGonagall stared.

"As she was describing her perspective on good and evil, Miss Harthcrow reminded me greatly of Voldemort when he was her age. The resemblance between her and her supposed grandparents is quite uncanny as well, Minerva."

"B…but how…how can that _be_?" she barely breathed in shock.

"As I said, I am only making guesses, but I have my reasons for doing so. Do you recall Ariana telling us that her grandfather died before her father was born, and thus he was given his mother's maiden name?"

"Yes…"

"Would it be unreasonable to think that that is simply a clever cover-up for the truth?"

"…no…not really…"

"If Ariana is in fact Voldemort's granddaughter, it would make sense that she knows such advanced dark magic at such a relatively young age, and it would explain her other scholarly talents as well."

"But…" McGonagall protested, looking deeply perturbed. "Why is she at Hogwarts? And why did she accidentally turn Severus into a cat?"

"I cannot tell you yet, Minerva," Dumbledore said heavily. "I am thinking about having tea with Miss Harthcrow sometime soon, though."

The other teacher forced a pathetic laugh as she turned to the door. "Well, I certainly have enough to think about until my next class."

"As do I," the Headmaster said with a sad smile.

Nyx moved away from the door only when she heard that McGonagall was dangerously close. As she dashed away from Dumbledore's office, the twisted smile reappeared on her lips.

_The old fool's finally catching on._

**That he is.**

--- to be continued in Chapter 24 : The Order of the Phoenix ---

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**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (With exception of Nyx, Jack Louis, SMS, the Beast, and anyone else I forgot.) 

**A/N:** GOOD GOD THIS TOOK FOR_EVER_ TO POST. -snarl- The site was being dumb and not letting me upload any documents until now for who knows why. Needless to say, I got kinda pissed off. But now it's being nice and I'm eating a chocolate chip cookie dough poptart and life is _goooood_.

ALSO! I will be out of town and away form my computer from June 25th to June 28th, so that means I won't be getting any writing done on the next chapter. Therefore, please don't be surprised when next weekened rolls by and I don't post it. I also, obviously, won't be able to read your reviews and whatnot, and that makes me kinda sad, but I can deal. Just letting you know so no one thinks I'm ignoring them or dead.

**General Notes: **The thing with Snape turning into a cat came form a crazy idea I got one day while I was in the shower. I actually randomly thought, "I wonder what would happen if Nyx got pissed at him and turned him into a cat...good _**god**_ that would be funny!" But I thought if I was gonna do something like that, there should be a point to it - meaning, it has something to do with the plot and it's not just a cute little joke-thing. So, I did, and I really cannot over-emphasize how much this will affect the plot from now on. You'll find out why inchapter 25. (Incidentally, I have a cat myself, and half the time she's a cranky little shit who hates everyone and _will not shut up_, the other half she's cute and dumb and runs into doors and chairs. Kitty-Snape is written with reference to my cat, Boots, a.k.a. Fatass (because she is one)/Salty Bob (don't ask..)/Bootsiekins/Bootsie-Wootsie/Kitty-Witty/or just Kitty. ...yeah, we're insane. We know.)

"Pookyface McFuzzybutt" came partially from a friend of mine. I let her read the first part of the chapter and asked her what Nyx should call Snape to humiliate him further; I figured a disgustingly cute and stupid name would be good, but I couldn't find oen that stood out as being really good. She said "Pookyface" which was good, so I added "McFuzzybutt" because it sounded better with both, and not to mention the crazy pet-owners who think thier pets are really people and name them accordingly, with a first and last name...heh.

I think everyone in the "We Hate Matsu" club will be pleased to know that he hasn't left the story by any means, and he's gonna keep acting like a stupid little brat for quite a while. Don't worry, though. He'll get what's coming to him eventually...

How did you like Nyx's Good and Evil speech? I got a headache while I wrote that, but it was worth it. I agree with basically everything she says, which was why I was able to write it. Like Nyx said, whether anyone agrees with me or not doesn't really matter. I think as long as you understand it, that's good enough. (Incidentally, I consider myself agnostic, so please don't talk to me about religious values and whatnot because I quite frankly can't seem to comprehend them.) Everything Nyx said has a purpose - meaning, each point she made came from something she experienced for herself. "The Other Kind of Evil", being the title of the fic and one of the ponts she made, is also very important. (By the way, I thought the masochist line was pretty funny myself. Anyone else get it?)

Dumbles sure is suspicious, ain't he? Seems like he's reading into Nyx a bit too much, but he makes a fair argument. However, as the reader you know otherwise about her and nothing he said could _possibly_ be true...

...or could it? -runs off cackling madly-

The words "Death Eater's child" were put like that on purpose because it's props to a great friend of mine (the same one who helped me with kitty-Snape's name), and "Death Eater's Child" is the name of the HPfic she's writing. She's not on this site, but I hope she will be some day because the site she's on now is, to be honest, inconvenient toput itpolitely. I started to post this fic there, and it took me about two goddamn months to get the first chapter up. The site has this "validation" thing where someone with the staff reads your chapter and has to "okay" it before it gets on the site; this can take up to 10 days, and is EXTREMELY aggravating when they don't even validate it after that long of a wait.

They refused to validate mine because I "threatened readers for reviews" in my author notes. All I said was "if I don't get enough reviewsfrom people wanting to read this, I won't post any more because I really hate the way this site does things and it's not worth my time if nobody wants to read it, especially since I already have over 20 chapters of iton another site." ...well, something like that. Either way, that is not a 'threat', unless you're mentally deficient and read it incorrectly. Not to mention the fact that every time you bold, underline or italicize something, as well as every time there's a new paragraph, you have to use the HTML tags, which takes several long, boring hours if you want to do them correctly. (For those who don't know, a HTML tag looks like this, but without the quotes: "left arrow"i">" _put italicized word here_ "left arrow"/i">") And if you screw up even one, the whole thing goes straight down the shitter and it takes for ever to find the ONE letter you missed to fix it.

Can you tell I hate doing HTML tags? Because I do. That's why I love _this_ site to death - you never have to do them. **_EVER_**. It doesn't annoy my friend because her chapters are short and she doesn't use italics/etc. _nearly_ as much as I do, and she's never posted anything on here.

...that's it. Tiff, when I come over to your house today, I am getting you an account here.

Back to the fic...As I'm rereading what I've written, it almost seems like the story is moving too fast time-wise. Like, one chapter is one day, the next chapter is 2 weeks later. It makes me feel like I should maybe slow down a little, but then I remember that I want to get this fic finished by the time I enter college,so I leave it as it is. So, if anyone thought it was going kinda fast, I don't blame you, and it'll keep going that way for a while, but not until afterchapter 24 and 25 are done. 26 is where there'll be another big jump in time forcertain, um...reasons. -shifty eyes-

Speaking of which, I estimate that there are 7-8 chapters left to go before you find out a HUGE part of Nyx's past: the real and true identity of her dad. Once you know that, everything else kinda falls into place and it's all good. -is super excited about writing that chapter- After that revealingchapter, there will be 5-6 more chapters until you know basically everything important in her past. (There are a few things from the pastthat'll come up later on, but they're not as detrimental to the plot as the stuff you'll read earlier.)

**Soundtrack:** ...yeah, it says 'soundtrack.' I'm making one for this fic, believe it or not. (Shut up. I'm not a nerd.) ..okay, maybe I am, but still! All I've been doing is collecting all the songs I have on my computer that are appropriate for the fic in one way or another, and calling it the 'soundtrack.' Here's the current tracklisting and why I chose them:

1. The Day The World Went Away - Nine Inch Nails. _One, it sounds freaking awesome, and two, the lyrics could not be better. I can't explain why at the moment, but when I can, I will. _

2. The Fragile - Nine Inch Nails. _Again, the lyrics say it all. This is the perfect song for Jack to be listening to later in the fic when Nyx goes truly crazy (and she will). Some of the lines are "she matters when everything is meaningless," "it's just that nothing seems worth saving / I can't watch her slip away," and the refrain, "I won't let you fall apart." The reason why this is so appropriate will be revealed near the finale. _

3. Tainted Love - I prefer the Marilyn Manson version. _Another Jack/Nyx song, but this one only becomes obviously fitting after Jack finds out about her past and some other stuff happens.I wish I could say more, but...y'know..._

4. Throw Me Away - Korn. _Sounds awesome, great lyrics. Think of these as from Nyx's point of view about herfate ofinsanity: "Don't let them throw me away / Keep me and I'll be okay / Skipping a beat bit it plays / Don't let them throw me away," "I'm feeling weak / Missing parts, incomplete." There are other parts but I can't explain them justyet. _

5. Coming Undone - Korn. _Once again, sounds sweet, perfect lyrics. Hell, the title should say it all. The whole first verse fits Nyx to a T:_ _"Keep holding on / When my brain's tickin' like a bomb / Guess the black thoughts have / Come again to get me / Sweet bitter words / Unlike nothing I have heard / Sing along mocking bird / You don't affect me." The 'mocking bird' would be the Beast, and he would be driving her over the edge. There are other great parts, but you can look them up yourself. _

6. Animal I Have Become - Three Days Grace. _Perfect song to describe how Nyx feels about her SMS issues: "I can't escape this hell / So many times I've tried / But I'm still caged inside / Somebody get me through this nightmare / I can't control myself."_

7. Mad World - I prefer the Gary Jules version (a.k.a. the slow one). _There's only one part that is absolutely without-a-doubt perfect for Nyx, and this is it: "And I find it kinda funny / I find it kinda sad / The dreams in which I'm dying / Are the best I've ever had." As soon as I heard that I spazzed. -grin-_

8. Renegade - Styx. _Fun song, and the lyrics would be great for one specific chapter. I think it'll be chapter 27 or therabouts. I'll mention this again when we get there. -grin-_

9. Dead Bodies Everywhere - Korn. _Kickass song, lyrics very good for Nyx and her dad. Examples: "You / Really want me to be a good son (daughter) / Why? You make me feel like no one,""Your dreams never achieved / Don't lay that shit on me."_

10. Right Where it Belongs - Nine Inch Nails. _This is most definitely Nyx's theme song (the reason for this will become clearer later), and will always be in my top 10 favorite songs of all time. The refrain says it all:_ _"What if everything around you / Isn't quite as it seems / What if all the world you think you know / Is an elaborate dream / And if you look at your reflection / Is it all you want it to be / What if you could look right through the cracks / Would you find yourself / Find yourself afraid to see?" This is a great verse too: "What if all the world's inside of your head / Just creations of your own / Your devils and your gods / All the living and the dead / And you're really all alone / You can live in this illusion / You can choose to believe / You keep looking but you can't find the woods / While you're hiding in the trees." There will most likely be a chapter with this as the title at some point, and I'll be able to explain more then. _

11. Requiem fora Dream (remix) - Clint Mansell. _Okay, so it's not technically a 'song' but it's probably my favorite intrumental piece ever. If I ever made a music video for this fic, this song would be playing in the background. ...damn. Now I want to do that, but I don't have Flash or anything...damndamndamndamndamndamn... -listens to the song 500 times- -is happy again-_

So there you have it. I might add some more songs to it later as I come across them, and if I do I'll put something about it in the A/N. If anyone wants me to send any of these tracks your way, let me know and I'll email them to you. -still listening to number 11-

**Preview:** Nyx hangs out at the Weasley's (with 'Pooky') to try to sweet-talk her way into the Order. She manages to get hopelessly distracted, however, by an old friend she meets there. Another character makes a surprise appearance, confuses the hell out of everyone, and...cures Snape?

**Review Responses:** I'm not doing these this chapter because I don't have enough time to go reread the reviews and write good, long responses to them right now. (I should be packing for my little trip coming up right now, but...here I sit, typing away the time...) I could just wait and do them when I get back home, but then you'd be reading this on Wednesday or perhaps Thurday at the _very _earliest, and this has been delayed too much already. Sorry...Maybe I'll add them in and re-post this later...I dunno.

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**---** **k**avi - **s**ama **---**


	24. Chapter 24: The Order of the Phoenix

Chapter 24 – The Order of the Phoenix

"Ron, when did she say she'd be around, again?"

"She didn't say exactly when…More like, 'once I'm done taking care of some other stuff.'"

"And what's the 'other stuff' she needs to take care of?"

"What do I look like, her secretary?"

"Ooh, Ickle Ronniekins sounds like he needs a nappie."

"That's enough, you two. Now come over here and set the table, please."

Fred and George grudgingly rose from the sofa, hung their heads and trudged towards the kitchen as they replied dismally, "Yes, master…"

"Oh, stop it!" Mrs. Weasley snapped irritably at the twins from the other room. "Dinner's almost ready, so we'll be eating once Ariana gets here. This isn't a self-setting table, and you know it. I'm busy watching the stove."

"But why us?" Fred (or was it George?) asked as if he was being sent to clean up nuclear waste, armed with only a toothbrush and a hanky.

"You weren't doing anything productive," she said, fussing with a bubbling pot that was about to overflow. "Stop complaining and _do it_."

"_They_ aren't doing anything productive, either," George (or was it Fred?) added, pointing at the trio of 6th-years, and Ginny, idling around a window.

"We're keeping an eye out for Ariana," Hermione said placidly as she stared out into the darkness. Crookshanks purred noisily from her lap as she scratched his ears.

"It only takes _one_ of you to do _that_," Fred said indignantly.

"At least _they_ aren't giving me a headache!" Mrs. Weasley snarled through gritted teeth, finally leaving the stove to drag her protesting sons into the room with her.

"Those boys…" Mr. Weasley – the poser of the very first question – chuckled, shaking his head. He leaned back into his chair comfortably and allowed his eyes to fall upon the werewolf seated near the crackling fireplace, staring into it thoughtfully. "Something the matter, Remus?"

Lupin's head turned quickly to face the other, looking like all he really heard was his own name. "Er…no, just…thinking about some things."

"You do zat a lot," Fleur commented from her fiancée's side as they sat on the sofa, hand-in-hand. "You seem to zink about zings almost too much…"

"Coming from someone who doesn't ever think at all…" Ginny muttered under her breath. Harry and Hermione grinned silently while Mr. Weasley pretended he didn't hear her.

"I'm sure Ariana will have some things to say that most people couldn't really understand," Lupin continued as if there had been no interruption. "Her disease, you know…"

"Yes, I'm sure it would be a relief for her to be able to talk to someone a bit like herself about it," Mr. Weasley said with a slightly sad smile. The werewolf nodded and returned his gaze to the flames.

"I think I see her," Ron said suddenly, straining his eyes to see a dark shape nearing the house. His fellow Gryffindors hopped up and crowded around him to see for themselves, and in a moment their excited expressions turned very confused.

"…is that…what it looks like?" Harry asked no one in particular.

Hermione had a sudden flash of inspiration that made her round on Lupin and ask, "Tonight's full moon, isn't it?"

He nodded and Bill laughed, saying, "Thought you looked a bit peaky, but I didn't want to be rude…"

Hermione turned back to her classmates and said brightly, "Well, that explains it!"

Mere seconds later, a dull thud of a knock was heard on the front door. The bushy-haired girl ran over to open it, to Mrs. Weasley's thanks; she was occupied with forcing the twins to help with the food. Beyond the newly opened door stood a positively huge wolf, whose dimensions were a good deal larger than the average animal. It's lean, strong body was covered in pure black fur, which was the only reason they didn't see it coming out of the darkness sooner. It stared up at Hermione with attentive, inquisitive eyes that shone greenish-silver as the light caught them. A deep red gem on a thin gold chain hung around its neck, wrapped around three times to be at the proper length.

"Hi, Ariana," she said with a smile, stepping out of the way so that her furry friend could enter.

Nyx-the-wolf's tail started wagging furiously as she trotted into the Burrow, jostling the black cat curled up on her back so that it awoke with a start. Snape-the-cat glared at her for depriving him of a rather pleasant nap, and looked slightly ill as he realized that they had arrived at their destination already. He didn't really have any business there, but Nyx certainly did. She was determined to leave the house that night a full member of the Order of the Phoenix, and she was prepared to do anything to make it happen; even fake crying, which she had always thought a ridiculous, childish, and selfish act.

Snape had no part in this at all. If nothing else, he _might _get some kind of entertainment out of the evening, though what that could possibly be he had no idea. Nyx asked him to come along just for the hell of it, and he would have rather stayed home and slept for a few dozen hours, but when she promised kitty treats he _had_ to say yes.

Nyx noticed that after the past almost-2-months, her transfigured friend had slowly but surely fallen right into the habit of being a cat. Barely anything he did was 'human' any more; the only exception to this was the use of a litter box, which was quite simply out of the question. Snape may have been a fuzzy little kitty, but he still had his dignity, by god. (As far as Nyx was concerned, the litter box would be better than falling in the toilet every other time he tried to use it, but Snape wouldn't hear of it.) For the first few weeks, Nyx had to remind him to act like a cat several times a day, just so that people wouldn't become suspicious. Gradually, she didn't need to remind him as often, and by early April Nyx herself was convinced that "Pooky" was really just a cat. If she couldn't hear him speaking in a humanly way, she might have forgotten what had really happened to him.

That hadn't gotten any farther since the day after it happened, either. No matter how much research was done, no matter how many spells, potions and whatnots were tried, there was still no way to even think about turning Snape back to normal. Due to the rather malicious comments Nyx heard from the Beast about her friend's condition, she _definitely_ didn't trust him to try to help. Even if she could control him, he might be able to do something worse to Snape that she couldn't reverse.

But, since he had gotten so comfortable in his new fur, Snape didn't complain nearly as much any more. This made Nyx feel a lot better because he wasn't constantly saying things like "I could make your Wolfsbane for you if I had _thumbs_," or "it's not _my_ fault there's fur all over your stuff." She wondered if this was how Jack felt when she blew up at him over the lost bag of Oreos nearly a year ago; it wasn't his fault, he didn't know any more about it than she did, and he had no clue how to rectify the situation.

She stopped thinking about that the moment she started, however. Things had been delicate with the two of them since "the incident." Each tried not to show it, but they were both secretly anxious about whether the other was aware of what happened. Jack was more confident that Nyx was oblivious because he was over 50 percent convinced that she had no "feelings" for him that would make her, consciously and of her own free will, latch onto him like a leech and fall asleep with her face dangerously close to his. Nyx was more worried, however. She had no reason to doubt that he was out like a light by the time he latched onto her like a leech and stayed asleep with his face dangerously close to hers.

But what worried her was if he had woken up at any point without her knowing, and realized the sort of position they were in. He could have made any number of things out of it, the most harmless being "she's asleep and doesn't know what she's doing." The worst was the one that worried her the most: "She loves me."

Nyx had more than a few problems with Jack thinking she loved him. For one thing, they were not of equal ranking, and the fact that Nyx was his one and only superior made things a bit awkward. If he thought she loved him, he might expect some kind of special treatment beyond what he already got, or he might start acting differently towards her in either private or public view. If he thought she loved him, he might also think that because of how she acted during "the incident" she was expecting him to love her in return. Whether he really did or not didn't matter, but if he started flirting with her or anything like that…it would lead to the biggest problem of all.

It didn't sound as conceivable when the Beast said it, but Nyx was starting to believe that the differences between the two of them were slowly melting away. It was difficult enough for her to live with a Kalixius clone for nearly 7 years and never do anything to show how badly she wanted him back, even though he wasn't even there in the first place. If Jack made but one move on her, the thinning line between "Jack" and "Kalixius" would vanish, and Nyx would lose all hope of control. With that control would also go her sanity, and before anyone knew it, she would be convinced that she was 18 again and that she had her love back. And if anyone tried to tell her otherwise…

But, as she did with many things, Nyx tried not to think about it too much. There was no sense in worrying over something that was fairly unlikely to happen, and it was unimportant at the moment anyway. Now, the only thing that mattered was her using her most creative talents to convince _someone _to let her join the Order.

Nyx waited for Hermione to shut the door before following her into the cluttered and cramped family room. There was precious little room to walk around feely because of all the seats that had been brought out for the extra company, but it was rather cozy and welcoming nonetheless. Needless to say, most of the occupants of the room were rather surprised to see a wolf instead of a girl. Harry and Ron gave her a wave from the window, and Ginny sort of half-waved awkwardly because they were more 'acquaintances' than 'friends.' Mr. Weasley was looking around hopefully for someone to give him an idea of what to do since _he_ certainly didn't know. Bill tried to give her what he thought was an _extra_-friendly and -welcoming smile to make up for Fleur's obvious disdain. Apparently, according to her, the form of a transformed werewolf was not a good one to take when introducing yourself to others.

Lupin had the most peculiar reaction to seeing her. His former rather tired, slightly ill and disinterested expression had lifted, and now he looked quite attentive and almost excited. Had he been in the same form that Nyx was, his tail certainly would have been wagging. He rose form his chair and approached the wolf with a smile.

"Hello, Ariana," he said politely.

Nyx raised her tail in greeting and continued wagging it happily. She made a yippy little barking noise, and Lupin's smile widened. _"Hi Moony!"_

"Remus Lupin," he said, playing dumb because there were normal people around. Lupin held out his open palm and let Nyx sniff it curiously – a far more appropriate way to introduce himself than the way wolves would normally go, which would look extremely strange because only one of them was transformed. Nyx sat down on her haunches (tossing off a very surprised Snape) and placed her paw in his hand, positively grinning as her tail whipped back and forth in absolute glee.

Mr. Weasley, inspired by Lupin's success, rose from his chair and stood beside him, looking down at the wolf with what he hoped didn't look condescending, fearful, disgusted, or anything else that could provoke Nyx into biting his hand off. "Nice to meet you, Ariana," he said, holding his hand out awkwardly. "Arthur Weasley. I'm Ron's dad."

Nyx already knew that, but she acted a little surprised anyway by raising her 'eyebrows.' But she kept looking friendly as she "shook his hand" and Mr. Weasley felt very accomplished. Next, she turned to the sofa where Bill and Fleur sat. The red-haired man tried to get up to follow suit, but his fiancée was clinging to his arm like she had a permanent sticking charm put on her. Now that Nyx was looking at her, she could smell her fear for not only herself but her future husband. She was not at all surprised that Fleur didn't want him going anywhere near a transformed werewolf.

Bill looked at Fleur awkwardly, expecting an explanation for her sudden attachment to him, but he didn't get one. So, he turned back to Nyx and said, "Bill Weasley, Ron's oldest brother. And this," he gestured to Fleur, who looked positively sick. "Is my fiancée, Fleur Delacour."

"…'e-ello," she squeaked only after Bill nudged her.

Nyx snuck a glance at Hermione, who was pursing her lips. She could tell Fleur didn't care for her friend already, and she thought she was being an idiot as usual. This didn't surprise Nyx; she had heard _plenty_ about "Phlegm." But she insisted on making a good first impression, so because she couldn't shake their hands, she "waved," and she looked like a fool the entire time. Bill found it rather amusing and waved back, though Fleur was still not happy to be in the same room as the werewolf and didn't move a hair.

Fred and George appeared in the doorway to the kitchen at that moment to see Nyx's back and not realize who she was. "Aww, lookit the puppy!" they cooed in unison, giving each other sentimental looks.

The wolf turned around and stood up on her hind legs, looking down at the twins from over six feet up, which was quite a bit taller than the twins themselves. They simply gaped.

"Get back in here, you two," Mrs. Weasley's voice came from the kitchen. She appeared behind her sons, waving a knife perilously, saying, "You didn't finish –" Her eye caught a large black thing in front of them, and she lost her voice when she saw exactly what it was. The knife dropped out of her hand and made a ringing clang when it hit the stone floor. The sudden noise made Mrs. Weasley jump and trip into a chair behind her before falling to the floor in a startled heap. Fred and George snapped out of it and went to their mother's aid, one of them bending down to see if she was alright, the other keeping a careful eye on Nyx.

The wolf's ears flattened against her head in embarrassment as she landed back on all four paws again. Nyx took a tentative step towards the rather shaken Mrs. Weasley, but she immediately backed off submissively when she saw the look on the guarding twin's face. Nyx sat back down with her tail tucked between her legs as the woman regained her footing, still uneasy after the shock.

"My, that gave me a fright," Mrs. Weasley tried to laugh uneasily. She suddenly winced and peered down at her ankle. A thin red line had appeared across her skin, and beads of blood were making a mess of her sock. The knife she dropped lay beside her foot with a bit of red on the edge.

"Oh, dear…" she sighed, cringing at the sting of air on the cut. She began to search for her wand in her apron to heal it, but whichever twin was standing beside her stopped her.

"Here, mum, I'll do it," he said, reaching for his own wand.

"No, _I_ will," a new voice corrected him. Everyone turned to look at where the wolf had been, and saw instead a girl matching Ariana's description, in jeans and a black "4 out of 5 voices in my head think I'm crazy" t-shirt. She un-transformed herself while no one was looking her way because she felt very self-conscious about how weird she looked as half-and-half.

Nyx stood up and added, "It was my fault anyway. I thought someone might get freaked out, but I figured it would be funnier to show up as a wolf. I know, I'm a bit…menacing, like that."

"…are you Ariana?" Mrs. Weasley asked, dumbfounded.

"Yeah…Sorry for scaring you like that," she replied sheepishly. Before she could say anything else, Nyx moved towards her and knelt down in front of her. She placed one hand on Mrs. Weasley's ankle and held the other next to it. "This'll hurt for just a second, but please try not to move too much."

The girl made a fist with her free hand, but extended her first two fingers so that they were touching. She placed the tips of these two fingers on one end of the cut and dragged them across the skin to the other end. Mrs. Weasley gasped at the pain, but stopped as soon as she started because it was gone. Nyx let go of her and backed up, smiling. The woman peered down at her ankle to see that there wasn't a trace of blood left, even on her sock. What's more, there was no trace of a wound. Mrs. Weasley looked back at Nyx and made absolutely sure there hadn't been a wand in her hand.

"…you healed that without your wand?" she asked in disbelief.

Nyx nodded slowly. "It came with the package." When no one understood her, she mimed a rabid, terrifying beast, complete with snarling and drooling, and then made a screwball motion in the direction of her own head.

Everyone "ohh…"-ed in unison and looked somewhere else uncomfortably. Something seemed wrong about watching her admit her…'issue' so flippantly.

"Er…well, th…thank you," Mrs. Weasley managed, still dumbstruck.

"No problem," the girl replied. "Like I said, it was my fault anyway, so I should be the one to fix the damage. Common courtesy and all. You're Mrs. Weasley, right?" She nodded. "And you two are undoubtedly the twins," she added, turning to them.

"Fred," said George.

"George," said Fred.

"Liars," said Nyx.

"How did she know?" the twins asked each other in considerable alarm.

"I know _everything_," said Nyx with a rather menacing gleam in her eye.

Fred and George turned very pale. _"…everything?"_

"_**Everything,"** _she repeated, grinning.

Everyone stared as the three of them burst out laughing after a few moments of silence.

"Uh…dinner's ready, everyone," Mrs. Weasley said awkwardly as they quieted down. The group started moving into the kitchen to take their seats. Before Nyx or Ron could get out of their sight, the twins positioned themselves on either side of the girl, leaning on her like a piece of furniture.

"Good choice, Ronnie," George said, giving him a thumbs-up.

"Yeah, we like her already," Fred said, patting Nyx on the shoulder.

Ron scurried into the kitchen whilst muttering something that sounded suspiciously nasty, with scarlet ears. Nyx allowed the redheaded boys to guide her into the kitchen, talking to her about testing out new edible products they had in mind for their joke shop. Evidently they weren't particularly safe to use on normal folks, so they wanted to see what would happen if she ate some.

"We know it won't kill you," Fred said.

"And we'd pay you, of course," George added.

"Generously, I might add," Fred said with a hopeful grin.

Nyx forced out a withering laugh as she took her seat at the table between the two of them. "Er…sorry, but…I'll have to decline."

"What? Why?" they blurted in unison as their hopes were squashed.

_Oh, god, don't make me say it… _Nyx pleaded silently.

"Because she doesn't trust you," Ron laughed. "I don't blame her. I wouldn't eat any of your work-in-progress stuff either."

"No, that has nothing to do with it," the girl said quietly. She fell silent as Mrs. Weasley handed her a bowl full of mashed potatoes to set on the table. "I wouldn't be any help because poisons and things like that have no visible effect on me."

"Well, that's no problem," the twin to her right said cheerfully. "The things we'd like you to test are nothing like poisons."

"They don't cause permanent damage to anybody. They just make them turn colors and grow hair in weird places and things like that," the one on her left added.

"So you'd be the perfect tester because we know none of the effects can be permanent. Y'know, because of the…thing."

Lupin was the only one who saw Nyx's grip on her fork tighten.

"How about this: test one product and see if you think it's worth the pay, and even if you don't want to go keep at it we'll pay you for your trouble. How's that sound?"

"I already gave my answer." Nyx said simply.

"Yeah, but –"

"Drop it."

The ringing force behind those two simple words made the twins' and everyone else's mouths snap shut instantly. Nine years of commanding an organization full of half-deaf idiots would result in nothing less, of course. Nyx was not a bit surprised at the horrid silence that followed her words, but it still made her uncomfortable. It didn't happen with her minions any more because they were all so used to it by now. But now she remembered how it was in the beginning, and realized that she may have made a grave error.

But she suddenly praised her brilliance for bringing Snape along with her, as he broke the awkward silence. The poor cat came tearing into the kitchen, yowling furiously with his fur puffed out like a porcupine. He immediately shot under the table and clawed his way up Nyx's leg and onto her lap, where he cowered and growled in the general direction of the doorway.

"What in the world has gotten into you?" Nyx asked with obvious concern. A whimpering mew came from the living room, and Crookshanks inched into the doorway. He looked like he'd gone through a dryer at top speed, and he was still a little dizzy from it. Three long, red scratches across his nose led Nyx to believe that Snape wasn't the one who should have been running in fear.

"_What the hell happened?"_ the girl asked the cat telepathically.

"_I was **violated**!" _Snape whimpered._ "That stupid idiot got what he deserved! If you can't tell the difference between male and female, you deserve more than one claw across the face!"_

"Aww, poor Pooky…" Nyx said as she patted his head. It took every ounce of willpower within her not to laugh or retch at the mental image she conjured up. "He doesn't tend to get along with other cats very well. I should have been watching him more carefully."

"No, it was probably Crookshanks' fault," Hermione said as she called him over. "Pooky must have tried to sleep in his favorite spot or something. Crookshanks _is_ a bit territorial…" She pulled out her wand and cleaned off the scratches on the cat's nose.

Snape shuddered in Nyx's lap. _"I feel so filthy…I need a bath…" _He hopped down onto the floor in front of her feet and began doing just that. Nyx stared for a little while (she was always immensely amused at the thought of Snape having to lick himself to be clean), until he looked up and asked very irritably, _"…do you **mind**?"_

She returned her attention to the normal people just in time to hear a rather ironic question from Mrs. Weasley. "So how is Severus doing? We heard he's been terribly ill."

"Oh, he's getting better," Nyx fibbed. "I don't expect him to be back at school for a while yet, though." Harry and Ron high-fived each other under the table.

"Do they know what was wrong with him?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Er…no, not specifically," she continued. "For one thing he can't walk for more than three steps without falling over, not to mention the headaches he's been getting. For the first week or so he felt nauseous every time he moved too quickly, and that obviously didn't agree with him. Hasn't been eating very much and he looks terrible."

Snape was prepared to sink his teeth into the leg of the first person that said, "well, that's nothing new." Nyx chose the moment after she finished the sentence to cross her legs and 'accidentally' kick him to prevent it.

"But other than that, he's just as crabby and grumpy as usual, so I guess things could be worse," Nyx said, laughing a little. "Lucky me, I get to play 'nurse' all Easter vacation."

"Good luck with that, mate," the twins said, each patting her on the shoulder supportively.

"I just hope he doesn't ring a bell every time he needs something. I'm not the bloody room service," Nyx grumbled. "And I still have a whole summer of fun to look forward to, stuck in that crappy little thing he calls a house…"

"So you haven't asked about staying here with us?" Mrs. Weasley asked, sounding a bit disappointed.

"Sorry, no. With the headaches and dizziness and all, he hasn't been thinking completely clearly, so I didn't think this was a good time to ask about that," she replied, smirking. "Once he stops thinking I'm the pizza delivery, I'll talk to him about it." She paused to stare at the saltshaker thoughtfully. "If it weren't for those damned Death Eaters I wouldn't…"

Nyx stopped abruptly and took a shaky breath. She sensed everyone else becoming uneasy as she waited for one of them to speak up.

"We're very sorry about what happened to your father, Ariana," Lupin said. He knew the whole thing was a lie, but he had the sense to play along with her, so he had no problem talking about it.

"Thanks…" she murmured. "I get really frustrated sometimes, you know? I know I have to avenge him, and I know I can, but…I can't do it alone…And I can't go to the Ministry for their help…" She fell silent to make sure her eyes were good and watery, but not crying yet. "There's no way I can find and kill any Death Eaters on my own…Severus won't talk for obvious reasons."

When everyone looked a little surprised, she added, "What? You thought I didn't know he's a Death Eater? Well, I do. And I've already tried everything I can think of to get him to tell me something, _any_thing…anything that would help me. But if he's killed for spilling information, just so I can avenge my father, then I'll _really_ be alone. That's the _last_ thing I want."

Bill spoke very slowly and carefully. "…There's always the Order of the Phoenix." Nyx gave him a questioning look. "Ever heard of it?"

"It sounds vaguely familiar…Severus might have mentioned it once or twice," she answered. _Alright, now we're **getting** somewhere!_

"The Order was created solely to destroy You-Know-Who," the redhead-with-a-ponytail continued. "Dumbledore founded it when he first came to power, and since he's back now, so are we."

_Ah…that explains the "Phoenix" part. _Nyx thought.

"The Burrow became the headquarters for the Order only last year," Mr. Weasley added. "Half of everyone here is a member, but there are a lot more of us besides. Severus is on our side, too."

"Who's not in it?" Nyx asked, trying her best to sound innocently curious.

"Anyone who hasn't graduated their 7th year yet," Mrs. Weasley said, giving a look to all those she was referring to. "…and Fleur." Ginny snickered.

"They think we're too young to be in it," Fred explained, pouting a little.

"_Is he kidding?" _Nyx asked Snape, whining a bit.

"_No. If it was up to me, I'd let someone your age in, but…considering the circumstances, I can't do much to help you," _he replied. _"You're going to have to do some first-class acting to convince them to let you in."_

That wasn't a problem. She came prepared for that, so at least she wasn't being surprised. But the only thing she didn't like was the card she'd have to play in order to make everything work. _Oh well. I said I'd use that excuse if I had to, and I **need** to get into the Order, so I have to do it._

"'Too young' as in 'weak'…?" she asked no adult in particular.

"Not necessarily," Lupin said. "'Weak' isn't the same as 'inexperienced.' Even if you're extremely talented with magic, you're all too young to have to go into battle with Death Eaters. The risk of serious injury or death is too high."

"Yeah, but don't you need all the people you can get?" Nyx pressed. "Even if your ranks were equal to the Death Eaters before, they sure aren't now. If I was in your position, I'd take anyone and everyone I could find, whether they're weak or inexperienced or not."

"It hasn't come to that yet, though," Mr. Weasley said gently. "And I hope we're never that desperate, either. I don't want to see any of you have to go through what we did any earlier than you have to."

Nyx chuckled quietly as she set down her silverware and ran her fingers through her hair. "I think you're forgetting that I'm not normal. I've killed people before, and I'd do it again. In turn, no one can kill me. I don't need to rely on magic for offense or defense, so my skill or lack thereof doesn't enter into it."

The room was quiet once more, but this time because they were all pondering what she'd said rather than being freaked out by it. Bill was, again, the first to speak. "She _has_ got a point, you know."

"If we were to allow you into the Order, you'd be able to avenge your father's death," Mr. Weasley said slowly, thinking aloud rather than stating anything. "…and you'd be in no danger because of SMS…"

"And because you have SMS, there's no way anyone with any sense would try to fight you," Bill added, speaking like his father. "So, if we were in a battle, and _you_ were there, the Death Eaters might just give up quietly rather than be killed by you…"

"And even if they didn't surrender immediately," Mr. Weasley went on with more confidence. "They certainly wouldn't last long if you were there to knock them all off. Why, even You-Know-Who himself wouldn't be able to hurt you!"

"But Ariana wouldn't be able to kill him," Hermione interrupted. "Remember the Horcruxes?"

"Even if she can't kill him, she can destroy his body so that he's useless for a while," Harry replied. "And she can't die in the process, either."

There was a general murmur of assent, which neither Nyx or Lupin joined in on.

"I see nothing wrong with admitting Ariana into the Order, despite her age," Bill said. "She's just the sort of person we need on our side if we have any hope of defeating him, especially now."

"I agree," Mr. Weasley said, nodding. "Molly, what do you say?"

Mrs. Weasley sighed a little. "I still think she's too young. But, I understand what a great help she would be to us, so if she really wants to, I think she should be allowed."

"And Remus, what about you?"

Lupin was quiet for a while before answering quietly. "I think you ought to ask Ariana whether she accepts our offer or not before I give my opinion on the whole business."

Mr. Weasley looked a bit flustered for a moment as if he'd forgotten she was sitting at the very table with them. "Alright then, Ariana, what do you say? Would you be willing to join the Order?"

Nyx laid her fork down on her plate very carefully so that it wouldn't make any noise, and slowly leaned back in her chair. She laced her fingers together and settled them on her stomach before closing her eyes and leaning her head back. "…No."

"_What?"_ they all blurted in dejected surprise.

Snape remained seated on the floor by her feet, silent. He assumed this was her acting up again and didn't question it. In the past, every time he questioned anything she did, he always ended up feeling extremely stupid after she explained it. In the end, she always made things work out for her, no matter how bizarre they seemed at the time.

"I said 'no.'" Nyx said coolly.

"But…but _why_?" Bill protested. "You'd be able to do so much good for our side, and you just said –"

"**_That_** is why," she said sharply. She waited for someone to say it instead, but after almost a minute, she heaved a sigh and leaned forward suddenly. "You're all really very stupid, aren't you?"

"Wh…What are you talking about?" Mr. Weasley demanded, both offended and worried.

"Let me make myself _very_ clear, since apparently last time I left you all quite bewildered," Nyx said venomously. "I am **_not_** in this for you. I am in it for **_me_**. I want to avenge my father's death. I don't give a rat's ass about anything else; not whether everyone in the Order dies, or if Voldemort - oh, shut _up_, Ron! - dies.

"Another thing I ought to impress upon you is the fact that I am a _human being_. Not a weapon of mass destruction, not an impenetrable shield, and not a slave that will do whatever its master tells it to. So if you insist on treating me like any of those, or anything else that isn't as human as you are – which includes being a guinea pig – I can find someone else to ally myself with."

"I…we…we're sorry," Mr. Weasley said weakly. That was the _last_ thing he expected her to say. "W-we meant nothing like it. I apologize if you've been offended but-"

"But 'you didn't know'?" Nyx asked icily. "No one ever 'knows', or 'means anything like it.' And don't bother apologizing. It's against my beliefs to apologize for the way you are. But I can't say I'm surprised; being normal as you all are, you're bound to think the same way as everyone else like you, and that includes the insufferable morons at the Ministry as well."

When she was met with confused stares, she continued. "Oh, don't know what I'm talking about, hm? Let me put it to you this way; the only reason the Ministry supported research on SMS was because they hoped to create a sort of "special army" made up of only SMs, because we're so damned powerful. We would have been the perfect soldiers; we can kill anyone with great ease and no guilt, no one can kill us, we don't need magic or weapons, and no one in their right mind would try to fight us because they know they'd lose.

"Those are the exact same reasons Voldemort wants SMs on his side, and the exact same reasons you want me on your side.

"But do you know why the Ministry failed with their little "SM Army" idea? Because we do not take being treated like pets and slaves very kindly. No matter what they did, the Ministry employees assigned to 'taming' SMs always failed. Wanna know why? Because there's nothing they could do to us that would be worse than what already happened. No threat or punishment could make them obey someone weaker than they are. Thinking that you could use _me_ like that is what makes you stupid, just like everyone else."

'**Atta girl, Nyxie. You tell those stupid humans what for.**

Nyx couldn't help but smirk inwardly. The Beast didn't praise her often, but when he did it gave her a strange sense of satisfaction. It was better than his usual bitching and rudeness at any rate. In addition to the ashamed, embarrassed, disappointed, and slightly cowering looks on everyone's faces, what reason did she have not to smile?

Screw the plans. Something had made her convince herself that these people were different, that they wouldn't treat her the same way as everyone else. But she had been proven dead wrong, and somehow she didn't care about her mistake. What use could she possibly have for these worthless fools? She had enough of those back home. The likelihood of gaining anything from swallowing her pride and accepting the invitation to that joke of an organization was less than zero. The Order of the Phoenix was as pathetic as the Ministry; Voldemort was back and they couldn't do shit about it, despite their "existing only to get rid of him."

This did nothing to improve her opinion of Dumbledore, either. Now, on top of being an old deluded fool, he was just as despicable as the Minister of Magic who first approved the SMS research, and every Minister that followed him and did not order the research halted. _Just another name to add to the Hit List._

As these thoughts rushed through Nyx's mind, not a sound was to be heard in that kitchen. There simply wasn't anything anyone could say. Except for what Lupin said.

"It's getting rather hot in here, isn't it? It's such a nice night out, I think I'll go take a walk and cool down," he said nonchalantly as he rose from his seat. "Care to join me, 'Ariana'?"

"I'd like nothing better," she said cheerfully. "Come along, Pooky. You could use the fresh air, too."

She trotted out of the room, following one old friend and being followed by another, happy to be leaving the ignorant sods behind.

--- to be continued in Chapter 25 : And The Moon Was Stained Red ---

* * *

**Disclaimer: **Own not, profit not, sue not. (With exception of Nyx, the Beast and SMS.) 

**A/N: **Took me long enough, huh? Hopefully it was worth it. If this chapter wasn't, then the next sure as hell will be. I decided to cut it in half again so I could post something now rather than wait another week because I still have a shitload more to type. So, chapter 25 was the part I was really looking forward to writing..and the part where the character-who-makes-a-surprise-appearance makes thier surprise appearance. Fuuuuun.

I haven't quite finished retyping part of Chapter 10 (for those who haven't visited my profile in a while, I'm giving SMS a makeover, and I have to redo half of chapter 10 in order for everything to make sense), but it _must_ be done before chapter 25 gets posted. I think I'll post 10 as soon as it's finished, and then post 25 whenever that's finished, rather than one-after-the-other like I said before. But until then, you can get a sneak preview of the new-and-improved SMS beastie by going to my profile and clicking on the link. Trust me; it's worth it.

**General Notes: **Okay, first order of business. A normal, average wolf is about 4 feet long. Nyx is about 6 feet long. Now you know why Mrs. Weasley was so freaked out. Oh, and how she can change out of werewolf form at will shall be explained later.

Lupin will have a much, _much_ bigger part in the next chapter, and he'll be much more vocal, too. He already knows a lot about Nyx, such as her age, her father's identity, her disease (obviously), and a few other little things. There are quite a few things he doesn't know, but he's aware of a lot of things most people aren't. One thing he didn't know was that she was posing as "Ariana," but once he saw her it was all too obvious, and he put the pieces together on his own.

The "I know _everything_" line came from a friend of mine. I believe she was talking to her boyfriend on the phone and told him about something he didn't know she knew about, and he said "how did you know?" and you already know what she said. (He was a little scared afterwards, actually.)

Nyx has been getting offended a lot lately, hasn't she? You can't say it's without good reason, though. All the more excuses for her to use to hate humanity and kill people indescriminately...which makes her happy, whether she'll admit it or not.

**Preview: **Reminiscing of the good ole' days, plotting against things, ambushes, death, surprise character, and...no more Snape-kitty? Check.

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**---** **k**avi - **s**ama **---**


	25. Chapter 25: And The Moon Was Stained Red

_**(If you have not already done so, go read chapter 10 before reading this chapter! - kavi)**_

Chapter 25 – And The Moon Was Stained Red

A dusty-brown wolf padded quietly over thick grass, between closely spaced tree trunks, beneath a cloudless sky and a full moon. A larger, onyx-colored wolf clambered after it, while a cat with matching fur trotted along at its heels. The brown wolf suddenly stopped and turned back towards the house far beyond the trees. It stared down its gray-tinged muzzle at the lit windows for a moment, then turned to its companion.

"There. We must be out of seeing distance by no- _OOF!_"

The black canine had pounced on him, yipping playfully with an over-excited tail. She licked at his face and pawed at him, keeping him firmly pinned to the ground. "Oh, Moony, I've missed you so _much_! It's been so boring and lonely without my Furry Friend!"

"Alright, Nyx, alright!" he choked out; she was putting most of her weight on his chest, oblivious as usual. "I missed you, too! Now get off me; I'm not as young as I used to be…"

"Well neither am I, but I'm still having fun!" Nyx said brightly. But she obliged and backed off a pace or two, though anyone could tell she really wanted to tackle him again.

"Good thing you didn't do that back there," Moony chuckled as he righted himself and shook the grass out of his fur. "Otherwise we'd have some very confused Normals on our hands, and no way to explain ourselves."

Nyx grinned, albeit in a wolfish way. "Yeah. I don't think the truth would go over too well."

The "truth" being that the two had been close friends ever since they met 20 years ago. During the time Nyx spent with Snape, acting as his pet bat, she found herself becoming increasingly lonely. Snape was good company when she was in human form, but she wouldn't even tell him that she was a werewolf. It was difficult to pretend nothing was up around full moon, and even harder not to allow herself to transform. By the time he returned to Hogwarts for his 6th year, she needed to transform just once; it was as if the werewolf part of her was going to rip her apart from the inside if she didn't let it out soon.

On the night of the first full moon of the school year, she lied about "going out for a bite to eat" so Snape wouldn't suspect anything. Nyx transformed where no one could see her and decided to take a little romp around the grounds for some exercise. And then she saw something very peculiar run across the lawn towards the Whomping Willow.

There was a majestic stag and a big, black dog, plus a little rat that she didn't notice until later. All three disappeared into the base of the tree, and she had no choice but to follow. She wasn't a cat, after all, so curiosity couldn't possibly kill her.

When she emerged at the other end of the tunnel, she was met with a most welcome sight; a dusty brown-colored werewolf, just like herself. The others, of course, panicked when they saw her, but she quickly convinced them that she meant no harm. This piqued their interest as well, and she was soon introduced to Moony the werewolf, Padfoot the dog, Prongs the stag, and Wormtail the rat; better known as the Marauders.

From that night on, Nyx's every full moon was spent with her new friends. She learned fairly quickly that all four were 6th-year students, 3 of which had become animagi for the benefit of their lycanthropic friend. Nyx claimed to be a friendly local werewolf who did not attend Hogwarts, but wished to remain anonymous anyway, so she simply had them call her "Nyx." The Marauders also felt their names were unnecessary, so they used only their nicknames.

From her point of view, Moony was the only Marauder of major importance or interest. He was the most easily trusted, since they were so alike, and the easiest to warm up to. They had a good deal in common personality-wise and became friends quickly. Neither Moony nor Nyx had met another werewolf before, so they enjoyed having one of their own to talk to. However, Nyx never completely trusted anyone unless she truly knew them inside and out, so Moony was left in the dark about her vampirism and the fact that she doubled as another student's pet. Everything else involving her past was still off-limits to even Snape, so there was no chance of telling Moony yet either.

Besides the werewolf, the three animagi seemed decent enough; well, two of them did anyway. Prongs could be very conceited at times, but he placed high value on his friends and was quite protective over them. Padfoot was the most fun loving and outgoing of the group, but it took him a long while to trust Nyx, though they got along splendidly once he did.

Wormtail was Nyx's least favorite. It was difficult for her to pinpoint any particular good traits about him, but it was equally hard to single out the bad ones. Something about him didn't seem trustworthy or safe to her, even though whenever they spoke he was unassuming enough. She never said a word to anyone, though, because there was no one to tell. Prongs would have a fit if she spoke a single word against any of his friends, Padfoot would back him up completely, and Moony would want to hear the reasons behind her suspicions. All she had was a bad feeling about him and no proof, so there was nothing to be done about it.

Years later, after she knew the truth, Nyx wondered if saying anything would have changed the course of the future. If she hadn't kept silent, would Wormtail still have become a Death Eater, betrayed everyone, caused Prongs (and Lily) to get killed, and Padfoot sent to Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit? A normal person might have been overwhelmed by a sense of "responsibility" for these tragic events, but as we all know, Nyx is not a normal person, and therefore felt nothing.

Not a week before their 7th-year-graduation, Nyx finally revealed the whole truth to both Snape and the Marauders - that is, the "whole truth" minus the things she told Snape months earlier and decided her other friends didn't need to know. The things she revealed to him weren't things that the Marauders would take very kindly to, and she wanted to remain friends with them if she could help it. If not, oh well.

Both the Gryffindors and Slytherin were gathered to hear the tale of her past, but only after she proved how she knew them all. Snape was upset and a little worried that she failed to mention her lycanthropy before, and Prongs and Padfoot were furious to hear that she was that trouble-making little bat. But the main issue they all had with her was put quite simply by both sides: "How could you be friends with _him/them_?"

Nyx chose not to explain why she willingly became friends with both Gryffindors and a Slytherin since they were being so childish about it. She still revealed (most of) her truths to them as planned, with mixed results. Prongs was visibly afraid of her, but in a respectful kind of way. Padfoot, despite the fact that they'd been friends for almost 2 years, immediately began mistrusting her and treating her like he did when they first met. Wormtail's attitude towards her did an abrupt about-face, and he began admiring her and fawning all over her like he did to Prongs when he showed off his mad Quidditch skillz. Moony and Snape had a newfound respect and admiration (and fear) for her as well, but little else changed between them. That was no less than what Nyx expected from each of them, though.

Even though in the end she wasn't as close to them, she was genuinely sorry to hear that Prongs and Padfoot were dead. Unfortunately, there were few people she could tell this to; Snape sure as hell didn't care about them, and was probably happy when they died. Nyx had no desire to contact Wormtail, whether he was dead or alive, since she had a particular hatred for traitors, backstabbers and the like. She and Moony lost all contact after he graduated and she went off on her own, until now. She considered it a point in her favor that she felt sorry that someone was dead, even though they weren't among her closest friends, but since there was no one to broadcast it to it seemed pointless.

"It's strange to listen to you now that I know you're lying," Moony said. "I know half of the things you said to us back then were untrue, but now I _really_ know not to believe a word of it."

"Thanks for playing along back there, by the way," she said, smiling. "I knew you realized who I was as soon as you saw me, and for a minute I was afraid you'd blow my cover."

Moony chuckled. "Am I the reason you showed up looking like that?"

"No, I _did_ think it would be a good joke," Nyx replied. "I wasn't sure you'd be here tonight, and I didn't want to look suspicious by asking too many questions."

"I don't think the Normals would have guessed that we knew each other from way back when."

"Don't refer to it like that…It makes me feel old," a new voice groaned. Moony's ears perked up immediately as he spun towards the source of the sound.

"…Pooky speaks?" he asked, surprised and confused.

"I am _not_ Pooky!" the cat hissed from its place beside Nyx.

"…so you lied _again_, huh?" Moony asked his friend with an un-surprised smirk. "Drat. I thought I had you figured out."

"It wasn't my decision to keep this a secret," Nyx explained patiently. "Remember all the things I said about Severus being horribly ill, and that's why no one's seen him for almost 2 months?"

"Yes," the brown wolf replied slowly.

"Well…that was a lie, too. _This_…" she stepped behind the cat and pointed down with her nose, "…is Severus."

Moony's mouth dropped open. "…please tell me you're lying again."

"Sorry. I'm not."

"Er…well, in that case…oh, dear."

"'Oh, dear' my tail," Snape growled irritably. "But now you know why I wouldn't let her tell anyone what really happened. It's too…humiliating."

"If you didn't want anyone to know, then why did you tell me?" Moony asked either one of them.

"We both agreed that you were trustworthy enough to keep it a secret, and we also agreed that you would make better company than the Normals since you can understand what he's saying," Nyx said. "Sev might not have liked you very much back when we first met, but he admitted that you were the most civil to him. I won't try to force you into becoming friends or anything, but I think you can get along for now."

Snape gave a vague shrug of assent.

"Oh. Well, erm…I'm glad you find me trustworthy," the werewolf said a bit awkwardly. "And, about everything that happened all those years ago –"

"If you're going to say, 'can we put it all behind us,' or something to that effect, then the answer is no," Snape interrupted shortly.

"…er, no. What I was going to say was that I am truly sorry for never intervening. If I had tried to, I could have forced James and Sirius to leave you alone," Moony said, looking frankly ashamed of himself. "They wouldn't have liked it, and I knew I should have done it, but I never did. I wanted to apologize for that, now that I have the opportunity. If you don't want to forgive me, I understand, just as long as you know that I regret my failure to act, and that if I had a second chance I would do differently."

"Glad to hear it," Snape fairly purred. "Because I don't forgive you anyway."

Nyx's paw crashed into the side of his head and knocked him to the ground before he even thought to duck.

"Sorry, I didn't hear that answer," she growled sweetly. "Would you mind repeating it, keeping in mind that you're lucky you got an apology at all, you insufferable little bastard?"

Snape stuck his tongue out at her.

Approximately a minute later, a heavily muffled noise came from beneath Nyx's admittedly large weight. She cocked her head so that her ear caught the full sound, and said to Moony, "He says, 'Thank you, I forgive you, I appreciate it, and that sort of thing.'" The wolf hopped off the spot she was poised on, giving a very flat- and harassed-looking Snape the chance to take in several long, wheezy gasps of air.

"Happy now?" he hissed once he was able to.

"Yep," Nyx practically sang, grinning, and ignoring the death glare she was receiving. "And you?" she added, turning to the other werewolf.

Moony opened his mouth to reply, but closed it and gave a combination of a shrug and a nod. Nyx assumed it to mean "yes," so she was satisfied.

"Incidentally, we'd appreciate it if you didn't ask how he got this way," Nyx added, giving Snape a nod. "As of right now, we don't have an answer to give you, and neither does anyone else. Because we don't know how it happened, we don't know how to change him back, and the trial-and-error method obviously hasn't done much good."

"Doesn't sound like a very good situation," he said.

One look from Nyx kept Snape good and silent, though he still looked as irked as he felt. People who stated the obvious deserved to be hexed liberally, in his opinion.

"So, Nyx…" the dusty-brown wolf continued, changing the subject for everyone's benefit. "What have you been up to lately?"

"I'm _so_ glad you asked! I ought to start at the beginning…"

"Oh, what _brilliance_!"

Snape yowled in pain when Nyx's back foot collided with him.

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"…well, you've certainly been busy," Moony said, highly impressed. Nyx had just finished explaining how she came to be the head of her organization, how things worked with her minions and such, and what she had accomplished since they last spoke.

"Yes, but I'll have much more to do once certain _other things_ happen," she replied.

Her friend's face darkened. "Are you really sure you want to do that? Are you sure it's not going to hurt you any more than it already has?"

"Well…" Nyx murmured. "I don't know for sure just yet. That's why I haven't made my move, even though I could. When I'm ready to, I will."

"Always needs to be on _your_ schedule, doesn't it?" Moony asked with a smirk.

"Of course. You know how cranky I get when I don't have my way," she chuckled. "But I've gotten the hang of my new way of doing things by now."

"And that is…?"

"If I find myself in a situation I don't like, or if something doesn't go the way I planned, I'll either force it to become a situation I'm happy with, or work my way around the problems and make it all work out for me in the end."

"Has anyone ever told you you're quite selfish, and yet very clever?"

"Yep. I've gotten both of those at different times. But, you know what? As long as-"

"'-it works out in my favor, I don't care'? I still know you quite well, Nyx. And I know that, of all people, you're one of few who could actually do just as you say," Moony said with a glint in his eye. "You do have a flair for success, you know."

Nyx grinned at him proudly. "I _know_. And the best part is that everyone I like shares in my success, which makes them forget that, in the end, I'm being extremely childish and nasty in order to have my way, because it benefits them too. So, having said that, if you'd like to sign up as one of my minions you're perfectly welcome to take a high-ranking position if you want it. Better dental plan, you know."

"Thank you for the offer," he said. "But I'll have to decline. Now that I know all about your ulterior motives, I don't think it should surprise you."

"No. I wouldn't have actually let you work for me eve if you begged. And I _know_ I don't need to explain why you're going to act like you never heard a word I said about those ulterior motives."

Moony nodded quickly. He saw her in action the night she revealed her 'condition.' She didn't know it was SMS at the time, but she certainly knew what happened during a full moon. And, as if by some mysterious coincidence, the night she chose to reveal this happened to be full moon. What he saw that night was carved into his memory forever, a permanent reminder of why he will always do whatever she tells him to, no matter what.

"That reminds me…" Moony said, switching the subject. "Don't you think you were just a little hard on them?"

Nyx laughed humorlessly. "You can never be too hard on a Normal, I always say." When her friend did not look impressed, she added, "I got my point across, didn't I?"

"You could have done that without being so…merciless."

"Oh, please. They deserved it."

"No, they didn't. They didn't know any better, and you knew it before you ever set foot in that house. How could they have known you'd be so offended? They've never met anyone like you before, and they've never spoken to you about this before. Yes, they could have been more tactful at times, but overall, I think you're more at fault than they are."

"What? Because I won't let them use me like they're using you?"

Moony's fur bristled. "I am _not_ being used, Nyx. I offered to go undercover with the other werewolves without being asked. It's just like you said; I'm in a situation I don't like, but I'm making it work out for me. I'm not happy about being a werewolf, but I'm doing something helpful because of it."

Nyx turned and stalked off a short distance before sitting down with her back to him and growling darkly, "If you knew me as well as you think you do, you'd remember how the idea of being 'used' gets me fired up. I don't put up with things I don't like for _any_ reason. Just because those Normals don't know my history is no reason for me to put up with any kind of abuse."

"I…I'm sorry," Moony apologized quietly, tucking his tail underneath him. "I didn't think of that."

"Evidently not," the other said cruelly. "And don't you dare say, 'the Normals didn't know about _that_, either.' I'm completely aware of that because that's how I planned it to be. If I explained things to them, they'd be a lot sorrier than they are now, but that would screw everything else up. So they're going to have to keep believing that the main reason I got so pissed off was just in their nature, and there's nothing they could do about it. It's mostly true, for once."

"…I see you still have your vendetta against Normals."

"It's not a vendetta. I just really hate them."

"With you, they both amount to the same thing."

"That's fine by me, because what I hate about one I hate about them all. And when I say 'hate,' I mean 'loathe with every fiber of my being.'"

"Which is why if you go insane and kill yourself, you hope you take most of humanity with you."

"I have nothing against humanity, Moony. Just the Normals, and their ignorance and foolishness. And their gullibility, I can't forget that one."

"That's the same thing as humanity, Nyx."

"Bullshit. What do you think **_I_** am?"

"Er…what?"

"What do you consider yourself, Remus Lupin? Man or beast?"

"I-I'm a man, of course. What kind of question is that?"

She ignored his question coldly. "Some Normals wouldn't agree. Because you're a werewolf, they might not be so certain of your humanity. They might not call you a 'beast' outright, but perhaps not completely a 'man.'"

"…then what do _you_ consider yourself?"

"Whatever you want me to be. You say 'human,' and I'm a human. You say 'monster,' and I'm a monster. You say 'shrubbery,' and I'm a shrubbery. It's your call. But whatever else I am, I know there's one thing that I'll always be; _me_."

An empty silence followed her words. The moon was higher in the void-black sky than when they first came outside, and the stars struggled to be seen amidst the blackness. The air had become chilly and dreadfully still, and the trees seemed dead in the motionless darkness. There was no breeze to carry the scent, but the two wolves and cat suddenly felt a terrible chill and caught the scent of something gone _very_ wrong.

"Do you…?" Moony asked as Nyx turned around with perked ears.

"Yeah…" she muttered, staring past him into the trees.

Snape, who had stayed quiet until now since he was a Normal himself, crept towards his friend. "Do you smell something?"

"Nothing familiar," Nyx replied dismissively with her nose in the air. A sharp gasp from Moony grabbed her attention, and as she saw a look of horror spread across his face, she pinpointed where it was coming from.

She lifted the dark cat up in her jaws by the nape of his neck and leapt into a flat-out run towards the Burrow. Moony followed just behind her. Within moments, the trio cleared the woods and the old house was in full view; an island in a sea of werewolves.

There must have been over a hundred of every color and size imaginable, all led by the unmistakable Fenrir Greyback. Nyx immediately assumed that this was all on Voldemort's orders, as most of the wolves didn't seem quite as enthusiastic as Greyback, who was a loyal Death Eater. Moony already told her how much influence he had over the werewolves, so she wasn't surprised that they went along with this on their own (or at least she _thought_ they chose to do it).

The pair came to a halt halfway between the trees and the first line of wolves in order to survey the situation. There was no way they could get to the house without fighting their way through all of those wolves. For Nyx, that was no problem as long as she had enough time. But that was no longer the case once she and Moony realized that Arthur and Bill Weasley were standing just outside the front door, confronting Greyback himself with only their wands as everyone else peeked out through the windows. The Weasleys looked blatantly terrified of him, but remained courageous till the bitter end like the sappy Gryffindors they were, even as the werewolf looked like he was ready to happily tear their throats out.

'This is all my fault," Moony whimpered anxiously. "I never should have suggested that we leave…If we had been here –"

"Nothing would be different," Nyx said shortly after letting Snape to the ground. "We don't have time to think about that right now anyway. What's your plan so far?"

"Plan?" he yelped. "I-I don't have a…a plan, I…I…"

_Fool. Panicking at a time like this… _she thought with a sigh. "Look, just sit there and calm down. I'll take care of everything." She turned to the black cat and added, "You stay with him. As you are, you'd probably be eaten alive if you tried to do anything. Keep an eye on things, though, will you?"

Snape gave her a thoughtful stare before grinning. "If I see anything to report, I'll let you know."

Nyx gave him an approving nod, and then turned to move closer to the crowd of wolves before her. She slowed to a halt just out of reach, and then addressed the whole lot of them in the familiar commanding tone she used with her underlings. "The first one to explain what the hell is going on here will be granted a swift, painless death, as opposed to the living hell I have planned for the rest of you."

The wolves looked at her curiously, like they were wondering if they were on Candid Camera.

Nyx's lip curled and she bared her fangs as she roared, _"Speak, **now**!"_

"Move aside and let her through," a deep, growling voice ordered.

The werewolves obediently parted like the Red Sea did for Moses, giving Nyx a straight path to the Weasley's front door. Greyback had given the command, and was now sauntering down the newly made opening as if daring Nyx to do the same. She took that dare and began striding towards the middle of the crowd, just as he was.

Smaller than Nyx but far more muscular, Greyback was covered in scruffy, steely-colored fur and a medley of scars, perhaps from before and after he became a werewolf. His sharp yellow eyes and bloodthirsty nature gave him a permanently manic, rabid look. It was no wonder to Nyx why most people were so afraid of him.

"Welcome, madam," he growled tauntingly, performing a little curtsey.

Nyx gave him the wolves' equivalent of the finger.

"You're not too brilliant, are ya?" Greyback asked, seemingly unfazed by her rudeness as he began circling her like a vulture. "Coming over here all alone, I mean…"

"Answer the question; why are you here?" she demanded, showing her teeth again as she circled him in return.

"We're tending to some business that doesn't include you, bitch, so _back off_," he growled. His tail was raised and his fur was bristling, and he was generally doing the best he could to look nice and menacing, but Nyx just thought he looked stupid.

"You're gonna have to do better than that if you want me to 'back off,'" Nyx laughed, glaring at him. "And I'm not leaving until my question gets answered."

"All right, then," Greyback said as he came to a halt. "We recently found out that _he_ –" he glanced at Moony and growled "- is a spy and a traitor. We're just paying him back for abusing our trust."

"Oh, right. And of course Voldemort has nothing to do with this?"

"_Do not speak his name, you filthy **mutt**!"_ Greyback bellowed, launching into an attack position. Many of the other wolves flinched at the mention of Voldemort, but they looked much more worried now that their leader was ready to attack. They began backing off so that the pair in the middle had as much room as possible, and so that one of them wouldn't accidentally attack a bystander in the confused heat of battle.

Greyback seemed to have calmed himself a little before he spoke again. "The Dark Lord gave us permission to kill as many of you as we want. He already knows that this place is something like the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, so he figures we might as well knock some of 'em off now that we're here since he has to have it done eventually."

"Sorry, but the only killing is going to be of _you_, by _me_," Nyx said with a cheery smile. "Unless of course you'd rather flee like chickens, that's fine, too. And yes, I do plan on taking you all on by myself. You don't appear to be much of a challenge, so-"

"**_Do not insult me!"_** the gray wolf howled furiously.

He flung himself at Nyx's throat like a starved beast and bit down as hard as he could. Greyback threw his head back, ripping her neck open with a cascade of blood and breaking the chain that kept the blood ruby around her neck. As Nyx watched the gold chain fall to the ground like a dying snake, speckled red, a horrible laugh rang in her ears. Panic struck her, and she quickly realized that her voice was all but useless until she healed her ragged, gaping throat. It could be done in a matter of seconds, but there was no time for that.

Snape received her telepathic message instantly and was horrorstruck. He snapped a quick, "get to the house _now_," at Moony before taking off at an incredible speed for such a little cat. The pair flew down the path the wolves made, ignoring them as they snapped at their heads and feet. Snape saw the ruby lying in the grass and caught the bloodied chain in his teeth as he sprinted by.

Just as they barreled past her, Nyx suddenly convulsed like someone had kicked her in the side. That was the only thing that stopped Greyback from trying to bite the cat's head off as it passed him; he was too busy staring at her in confusion. They all saw her jump and yelp as if she was hit in the stomach, and then again like she was getting her head bashed in.

Just as she started whining and yipping pathetically, rolling around on the ground in pain, Snape and Moony reached the front door of the Burrow. Having heard what Nyx told Snape, the wolf immediately jumped up on his hind legs and did his best to push Mr. Weasley into the house. The cat clawed at Bill's leg and cried at the door desperately until the two Normals got the hint and went inside, casting bewildered and concerned looks back at 'Ariana.'

She, meanwhile, was still howling in agony on the grass, slick with her blood, as a murmur swept through the mass of werewolves. Greyback barked at them to shut up, and they did once they saw how annoyed he was. He assumed that Nyx was just making a big deal out of dying like the cowardly weakling she was, and he was mad that the attack hadn't killed her instantly. But there was something else that was bothering him, too; the pain she was in didn't seem like the pain of dying. It made him feel uneasy, but he refused to show it, and instead continued growling at the agonized wolf before him.

After one final twitch and whimper, Nyx became very still as she lay on the inky grass. The whole congregation of werewolves wondered if she was finally dead. The Normals in the house wondered if she was faking it in order to make Greyback drop his guard and then pull off some amazing attack she had up her sleeve. Snape and Moony wondered if they would be alive in the morning.

Not a minute after her body stopped moving, Nyx suddenly rolled over and rose to her feet again, with her back to the gray wolf. Greyback jumped a little, but quickly covered it up with a loud snarl, challenging her to try fighting him again. Her now-mended throat had apparently slipped his mind. The other werewolves remembered it, though, and started backing off even more in fear. Whether she was immortal, indestructible, or something else, they didn't want to be any closer than they had to.

Greyback barked his challenge again, because apparently Nyx hadn't heard him the first time. This time, however, her head slowly turned to look at him. The gray wolf was happy to finally get some kind of response, but it vanished as soon as her eyes locked onto his. He had no time to react, and even if he did he wouldn't have been able to for the fear that was paralyzing his legs.

In one quick, fluid motion, Nyx was on him, and one sickening snap later, Greyback lay on the ground, dead, with his neck broken and bitten through. When the black wolf raised its head to look up at everyone watching it, the wolves started scrambling to get even further away, yelping and whimpering like frightened puppies.

The Burrow's windows were full of faces, peering out into the yard. They hadn't really registered what Nyx had done, until her head turned to face them very, very slowly. The moonlight shone into her eyes, making them shine as red and terrible as the blood seeping from her fangs, bared in a twisted grin. The Normals jumped at the eerie sight, and some chose not to return to their window. Despite being rather naïve about all the details of Nyx's condition, they all knew that something had gone awry, and even they knew it wasn't part of anyone's plan.

Snape was watching her carefully from his perch on the windowsill. He didn't think it was something he could explain to Moony, but Nyx's eyes were…_wrong_. He knew he had seen them somewhere before, but he was certain that he hadn't ever seen Nyx with them. The shade of red, the way the pupils seemed just a little too small, the deathly emptiness within them…It was all so familiar, but from where?

Licking the blood off her jaws, Nyx looked around calmly at the unnerved werewolves. Her eyes eventually fell back on Greyback's corpse, which she licked a little more blood off of since she was an advocate of the "waste not, want not" saying. After her thirst was satisfied for the moment, the wolf sat down on her haunches and let her head roll back lazily, so that she was staring straight up at the full moon. And without warning, her jaws parted, and she emitted a sound that could have scared a ghost to death. It was screechy, like a bird, and deafeningly loud, with an instantly recognized sound mixed in; a human scream.

No one actually saw it happen. The werewolves, including Moony, were trying desperately to cover their sensitive ears while they whimpered in pain on the ground. Snape had instinctively dashed under the couch in terror, and remained there, quivering. The Normals all doubled over, grimacing and pressing their hands to their ears as if it would make them stop hearing that god-awful noise. But as soon as the sound actually stopped, it was replaced by one that was not quite as terrible, but did nothing to calm their fears.

The whole over-100 werewolves outside began a collective howl of terror as they stampeded to get away from the thing causing that noise, which came back again shortly after the wolves began running. But this time, it seemed much louder, if that was even possible, and it almost completely drowned out the deep rumble of the wolves' fleeing.

Before anyone could get back to the windows to see what in hell was going on, a brilliant white flash lit up the cramped family room, and a sound like a thunderclap and an explosion split through the air. A crash followed it, and the whole house shook so hard it probably should've fallen over. Every light in the house was suddenly extinguished, but the pale moonlight shining in through the drawn curtains gave them a limited range of sight.

The first thing on all their minds was to figure out if a bomb had fallen in their front yard, but by the time they reached the windows again, all signs of the werewolves, including Nyx, were gone. The Normals were nothing but confused at this; the wolves had been running away, but how could they be out of sight so quickly? This question and more was answered when someone went to peek out a window on the other side of the house, and let out a small scream.

This was inarguably where that "lightning strike from hell" landed. A crater, burned grass, and the remains of over 50 wolves were their proof. The rest of the wolves were found already behind the house, frozen at the edge of the trees, mere feet from a possible escape. Their wide, terrified eyes were locked on the thing methodically eating them, ripping them apart, and crushing them one by one, with incredible speed. It seemed to be attacking at complete random, but after watching for long enough, one could see that the strikes were very precisely aimed in order to make efficient use of it's jaws and claws; the wolves were powerless against such a brilliant and powerful foe, and they knew it.

Most of the Normals turned away after comprehending what they were seeing. One had to go somewhere private to retch in peace. Moony, Snape and three others stayed only to know what was happening outside. But within barely two minutes, every last wolf was dead except for one. There was nothing special about that wolf; it just happened to be the last one on the menu. The thing that killed it's fellows did an abrupt about-face and began moseying on over towards the front of the house again, stepping carelessly on any wolf carcasses that happened to be in it's path. The lone survivor took this chance to run like the devil was at its heels into the forest and out of sight.

As the cat, werewolf and Normals moved away from the window, looking very sickened and defeated, the lights flickered back on, but no one really seemed to care. The others were scattered throughout the room, desperately trying to remove that image from their minds, and each of them completely failing. A few were shaking, crying, and one was still in the other room emptying their stomach. The adults were slightly less troubled since they'd seen that sort of thing during the first war with Voldemort. But none of them would dare lie to the younger generation by saying that what had just occurred was less frightful than the whole war crammed together.

The sudden sound of footsteps approaching the front door knocked the group out of their disturbed stupor.

"That'll be Ariana," Mr. Weasley said, finally finding his weakened voice. He moved towards the door, walking uneasily, until Moony caught the hem of his sleeve in his teeth. The wolf pulled him back in the direction of the family room, giving him a plaintive look. Snape appeared at his feet, with the blood ruby on it's tainted chain draped across his middle like a sash, seemingly to agree with what Moony was trying to convey. The wolf jerked his head at the door, and the glanced at the cat, which finally made the Normal understand.

Mr. Weasley returned to his former spot, inwardly thanking every god he could name that he didn't have to answer that door. Welcoming mass murderers into his home was not something he ever planned on making a habit of, and he didn't want to start now. But after seeing everything he just did, how could he have refused her?

Moony and Snape walked solemnly towards the front of the house, both knowing that they put their lives on the line by doing it. But they had to. They were the only ones who knew. They were the only ones who wouldn't be killed on sight…

…hopefully.

With some difficulty, Moony managed to turn the doorknob and push it open, to reveal someone no one was expecting. If Nyx had an identical twin brother, this would be him.

The face was the same, although his was less feminine, but not blatantly manly either. The hair was black, slightly wavy, and messy, like Nyx's hair, but his was cut so that the tips were around the middle of his neck. The one piece that fell across Nyx's face and drove her towards her Insanity Decline faster than a phoenix's cry was still there, too. His skin was barely a few shades lighter than hers and had a faint bluish tinge, making him look corpse-like. He looked the same age as she did; between 17 and 19. The rest of his body could have easily been Nyx's if she was a man, and he was somehow wearing the exact same clothes as she had been.

But the one thing that made them so distinctly different, even besides the obvious lack of boobs, were the eyes; his were the same possessed red as when Nyx killed Greyback. They were unnerving to have to look at because of an eerie light that seemed to gather in the center and pierce through everything it was aimed at, like some kind of sinister laser beam. Anyone, no matter their level of sanity or lack thereof, could tell that these were not the eyes of a human being. But for all anyone could tell, the stranger seemed to be just that.

Until he realized that the door had opened, the young man was standing calmly on the porch, staring out into space without any semblance of an expression as he idly licked the blood off his face and fingers. When he finally moved towards the werewolf, Moony noticed that his movements were fluid and controlled, almost puppet-like at times, and very calm. He stopped as the wolf made no effort to get out of his way, and looked down at him coolly, staring at him with those weird unblinking eyes.

"…hello, Remus Lupin," he said. His voice was not different form his appearance; a male version of Nyx.

Moony obviously showed his surprise at the stranger knowing his name.

"Don't look so astonished," he said. "I know everything she knows, and she knows you're Remus Lupin, so **_I_** know you're Remus Lupin."

Snape's eyes suddenly widened in fear as the truth dawned on him. The cat's sudden attempt to scoot away from him caught his attention.

"Don't run, scaredy-cat," he said, sounding nasty but still looking as calm as ever. "Or I could say 'Snapey-cat,' to be proper. Ether one works. So unfortunate that that happened to you…" Sarcasm was practically spilling out of his mouth though his face showed no sign of change.

Something about the way he said that provoked Snape into hissing at him, spewing out the foulest insults he could think of, and doing what cats did best to make themselves look intimidating.

A miniature smile curved the stranger's lips, but it didn't really look happy. He moved so quickly, neither the cat nor the wolf realized that he crouched down and plucked Snape off the floor by the nape of his neck, until it had been done for several seconds.

"I don't blame you for being angry with me, and I can't say I find your words untrue," the stranger said as Snape's eyes widened in shock. "But I'm afraid you dislike me for the wrong reason."

"…what are you talking about?" the transfigured man asked, feeling a sudden, overwhelming urge to run for his life. The way his eyes bored into him, he felt like his very soul was on display for him to view, or possibly harm.

The young man's eyebrows raised themselves slowly and the smile retreated back into the 4th dimension. "You don't know yet?" No response. "…right. I see you're not as bright as she makes you out to be, but no matter. I don't mind doing demonstrations."

Just as the stranger raised his free hand and gently placed his fingertips over Snape's heart, half of the Normals in the other room poked their heads out to see why no one had come back in yet. They were just in time to see a bright light cover the little cat, and to see it suddenly grow and distort into a horrible shape, transforming morbidly into something that resembled a human. In a matter of seconds, the cat had fully transformed into what appeared to be Severus Snape.

The strange young man released the hem of his long, black robes, and he fell to the floor with a loud thud. Snape sat there in a daze, staring at his hands and arms, and inwardly rejoicing at the fact that he had thumbs again and was no longer covered in hair.

"I'm…_human_ again," he breathed in awe.

Moony made no attempt to speak. He was preoccupied with crouching next to the wall, looking as frightened as he could, and whimpering. Mr. Weasley, however, had kept his voice.

"S…_Severus?_ Is that…_you?_" he asked with very, very wide eyes.

The sudden question startled Snape and made him whip around to face them much more quickly than he should have. As the stranger smiled again, the Normals each gave a small gasp of shock when they saw that, despite the fact that the voice was his, the body was his, and the clothes were his, the face on that man was not the face of Severus Snape.

--- to be continued in Chapter 26 : Doppelganger ---

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (With exception of Nyx, SMS and...um...the lightening bolt from hell. :D)

**A/N:** This was a very fun chapter to write, even though it's dark and depressing. The part where Nyx lays waste to all the werewolves was the part I was looking forward to writing, but I'm still glad I split the chapter into two rather than making it all one. I'm also happy with how the rewritten version of chapter 10 turned out. I think I slimmed down on the information this time, but that's either because it wasn't that important or I decided to remove it altogether. Don't worry; there'll be another SMS 101 in a future chapter.

**General Notes:** I can't really write this in the chapter itself because not everyone's seen LotR (though I think most people reading this story would have), so if that's my only description not everyone'll get it, but the SMS beast's cry sounds like a Fell Beast. You know, the dragon-y things the Nazgul/Black Riders fly around on. That's the best comparison I can make, so hopefully you have an idea of the noise now.

There are 2 reasons I didn't describe the beastie at ALL in this chapter. One is that in the movie JAWS, the shark was a lot scarier because you didn't see it for half the movie. I figure that if I let your imagination make what it wants of the little description I gave, it'll be better than me telling you every single thing and making your mind stay on that one image. Dunno if that makes sense or not but it did when I thought of it. The second reason is that I busted my ass on the description in chapter 10 and I do NOT want to recopy or paraphrase it in any way ever again. If you need to refresh your memory of what it's supposed to look like, go read that again. (Which is why I had to finish redoing chapter 10 before I posted this.)

Oh, and the Normals were scared shitless, and that's why they didn't apparate or floo powder away. They prolly should have, but Normals suck, so there. –huge grins-

Oh gnoez! Snapey's face went plop! D: Sadness abounds! Or maybe not. That's all I have to say about that.

And the surprise character is that dude that showed up after the mass genocide. ...what, you expected me to tell you who he is? AAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That's a good one...

Anyone have any guesses as to what actually did happen to Snape's ugly mug or the identity of the freaky guy who's never lost a staring contest in his life? Hmm? Anyone? (Hint: You should be able to figure it out without my help.)

**Preview: **FREAKING CHAOS. And a very pissed off Snapey-pants. And I'll tell you who the other guy is. Happy now? Good.

**Art Updates:** If you haven't seen them already, there are two new pics up on my profile. One is of the new-and-improved SMS beastie, and the other is of the guy-I-haven't-named-for-you-yet. As an extra incentive to go look at them, I may as well tell you that the picture says who the guy is. :)

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**---** **k**avi - **s**ama **---**


	26. Chapter 26: Doppelganger I

Chapter 26 – Doppelganger I

Severus Snape hated his face. He always had and he always would, since it was the bloody bane of his existence. He found, over the course of his 37 years of existence, that far too many people judge others by their appearances, and namely their faces since that was usually the first thing people noticed. And everyone wondered why he was always such a miserable bastard; "if everyone looked at you and thought you were as pleasant as a pile of maggot-infested monkey brains, how would _you_ feel?"

The only "good" feature was his eyes, but only because he couldn't find something blatantly unappealing about them. His teeth were yellowed and crooked, so he tried to make sure he never smiled. His massive, awful nose prompted insults from everyone, even Nyx, who called him "Beaky" once when he was seriously pissing her off. His skin was pale, and that would have been easy to cope with if it wasn't a sickly, yellowish color at the same time. His hair was perpetually greasy, and always hung limp and lank in his face like black tendrils of crude oil. Cutting it any shorter didn't help much because that just provoked his hair into curling up preposterously and making him look like a Shirley Temple wannabe.

He was ugly. Plain and simple. Although he seemed to ignore that fact, or at least not care about it, he secretly hated himself for it. More specifically, he hated himself for it because there was nothing he could do to change it. He already tried several spells and potions that were intended to make some part of you look different, but these effects were only temporary and weren't that helpful to his looks anyway. The only good thing was that whatever he tried, it couldn't _possibly_ make him any worse.

But not any more. Now he had no need for the spells and potions, and no reason to hate himself. Because the face he despised so passionately was no longer there.

"Huh?" was the first thing that came out of his mouth after he spun around, followed by, "uh, I mean, yes. I'm Severus." He stared at Mr. Weasley and the rest of the bunch awkwardly, trying to look imposing as usual as he sat there on the floor like he was in time out. Resuming his usual attitude, he added, "Who did you _think_ I was?"

"P…Pooky the cat…" the head of the Weasley clan replied weakly. Everyone else just gaped like mentally deficient goldfish.

"Uh…about that…" Snape said slowly, wondering how on earth he was going to explain this to them when _he_ didn't even know what happened. The unidentified young man at the door cleared his throat quietly before the un-transfigured man could speak again.

"Do you perhaps feel any…different?" he asked silkily, eyeing him in what seemed to be morbid fascination.

"_Should_ I feel different?" the professor asked in reply, clearly wary of the other man.

"I think we'll let you find out for yourself, won't we?" He glanced over at the group of mostly-redheads, and they all nodded in agreement a bit timidly. The stranger waved one hand through the air in an elegant arc, and a floating mirror appeared in the air in front of Snape.

The ex-cat rose to his feet even though he had a sinking feeling that he wouldn't like what he saw in that mirror. He hoped that what he thought before still applied now; he couldn't look any worse than he did before…right?

Now he understood why everyone was giving him the same look Lupin did when he said, "Pooky speaks?"

When Snape had turned to face Mr. Weasley, a cloud of sparkles should've materialized to accompany his new façade. His skin was now a sort of marble white, lacking any hint of yellowness or sickliness. His teeth would have made a dentist shed tears of joyful admiration at their perfect alignment and total lack of discoloration. His nose was now proportionate to his head, and as straight as Jack was if anyone asked him why he still didn't have a girlfriend (but _he's_ not defensive about it, no sirree…). His hair and eyes remained jet black, but his 'do was now something to be envied rather than told to go wash. For once it looked the way it should have, unadulterated by oiliness; the straight-with-a-slight-wave hair did nothing but enhance his appearance, which to be honest didn't need much enhancing in the first place. And as another welcome bonus, he looked about 17 years younger.

He was damn good looking. Plain and simple.

Now it was Snape's turn to look like a mentally deficient goldfish as he stared at his reflection in complete and utter disbelief. "I'm…I'm…"

"Improved?" the stranger suggested smugly.

"Obviously," he replied, poking and prodding his face to make sure it was real. "But…But how did you do this? What spell did you use?"

"Oh, nothing specific," the young man said nonchalantly. "But since I can turn you into a cat, why shouldn't I be able to give you a little makeover?"

Any hint of gratitude Snape had felt towards him went flying into the abyss and was replaced by a terrible, seething anger.

"…What did you just say?"

"You and I both know that you heard me properly the first time."

"This…This was all _your_ fault?"

"That's what I just said, O Wise One."

Moving much faster than anyone thought he could, Snape suddenly had the stranger pinned to the wall by the throat with both hands. _"Do you have **any** idea what I've been through because of you?"_ he snarled, baring his teeth like some kind of enraged animal.

"Of course I do, you fool," he sighed. "I thought you understood me when I said everything _she_ knows, _I_ know."

"_Why did you do it?"_ Snape spat.

The placid smile crept across the man's lips again. "Why? Because I could. And I knew that if I did it, it would hurt her. Plus you have to admit it's pretty funny, especially because it's you. You don't even like cats."

"**_Funny?"_** Snape roared, tightening his grip on his neck until his fingernails broke the skin with a sudden spurt of red.

Lupin suddenly jumped between them and pushed the attacker away with his front paws. "Calm down, Severus! Don't do anything stupid!" It was more of a plea than an order. "Remember who you're dealing with."

Mr. Weasley, who didn't understand a word his werewolf friend said, also approached Snape and tried to quell his anger. "Now, let's not jump to conclusions here…er, for starters, who are you anyway?" He peered at the other young man as he ran a forefinger over the holes in his neck, sealing them and cleaning up the blood.

"He's the Beast," Snape said in a low voice before he could answer. "He's like Ny- _Ariana's_ split personality, and at the moment he's the one controlling her body. He commandeered it right after Greyback removed the blood ruby, which is why she looked like she was being attacked by something invisible, because she was. He attacks her from the inside to weaken her and then takes over by force."

"Er…pardon?" Mr. Weasley asked, dumbfounded.

"It's as he says," the stranger said calmly, still poking at his neck to make sure the damage Snape's fingernails did was completely gone.

"So…you're the…'Beast', did you say?" the redheaded man asked slowly, feeling either very stupid or very sensible. If "the Beast" was actually a common and real name people gave their children, then it was the first one.

"That's what he said," the Beast replied with a hint of annoyance in his tone.

"But, well…I don't mean to be rude, but what kind of a name is that?"

The faint smile reappeared on the young man's face as he laughed softly. "I didn't choose it. _She_ did. So don't feel bad about offending me; I don't like it either."

"Why don't you choose a name for yourself, then?" Mrs. Weasley piped up, walking closer to the door. "One that you actually like."

Snape gawked at them. _What are they thinking, treating him like this? Don't they realize **anything**?_

The Beast smirked a little. "I'm not allowed to."

"What? Who says so?" Mr. Weasley asked, seemingly upset that someone was cruel enough to refuse to let him have his own identity.

"_She_ does," he answered simply. "She says I'm to keep the name I was given whether I like it or not."

"'She'…?"

"Nyx. Oh, sorry. You know her as 'Ariana.' For future reference, her _real_ name is Nyx." The Beast gave them a slightly larger smile to offset the infuriated screaming he heard in his head.

Hermione turned to Harry and Ron with _very_ wide eyes, to which they replied by mouthing silently, "How the bloody hell is she _her own grandmother_?"

"So she's the one that's controlling you?" Mr. Weasley asked as the rest of the Normals joined the small crowd near the door. Evidently they saw nothing to fear in him…yet.

The Beast nodded. "She doesn't like letting me out, and she gets very grumpy when I escape on my own. I tend to misbehave in this form."

"What do you mean by 'misbehave'?" Bill asked with a sickening sort of innocent curiosity. The naïveté of a Normal never ceased to rear its ugly head at just the wrong moment.

"What I did tonight was pretty misbehave-ish by her standards," he replied with just a bit of pride in his voice. "I've done worse in the past, of course, but this isn't the least damage I've ever done."

The whole group stared as it dawned on them.

Snape scoffed disdainfully. "Don't tell me you just realized that _he_ was the one who went on the killing spree, not Nyx. …or Ariana. Whatever."

"Er…well…yeah, we did," Mr. Weasley said in a hollow voice as he and the rest began inching away from the Beast.

He simply laughed cruelly. "Don't bother running away from me now. If I intended to kill you, I would have done it a long time ago." Now they looked more terrified than ever as they retreated back into the family room, whimpering something about seeing if anything good was on the radio.

_Normals are always so **stupid,** _he thought.

**At least we agree on _one_ thing… **Nyx replied irritably. **Are you going to be done soon? You should've had enough fun for now. **

_Patience is a virtue, Nyxie dearest. And you can never have enough fun. _

**_I_ can't, but _you_ can. Now hurry up…and don't forget to change my body back into a girl first!**

If it wasn't enough that he used her body to wreak havoc, the little shit sometimes left her in a male body, and that was one thing that Nyx truly hated. It wasn't terribly difficult to change herself back, but it was a bother and she would rather not have to. Unfortunately, forcing the Beast to make her appearance change (since he was technically a part of her, and he had the ability even though she didn't, Nyx always said that she herself could do it, for simplicity's sake) was far easier than making him give up control on the body.

"So how long will you be gracing us with your presence for?" Snape asked nastily, folding his arms and glaring at the Beast.

"Not much longer, as it seems I've overstayed my welcome in more ways than one," he replied. "I probably won't be seeing you fine folks for a while, but that's fine by me. I know _no one_ will be forgetting me any time soon."

The DADA professor narrowed his eyes at him. Why did that last part seem to be directed at him, and why did it make him feel so nervous?

The Beast let his arms fall slack to his sides and bid them a cheeky, "TTFN; ta-ta for now!" Then he finally closed his unblinking eyes, and the moment he did so, he collapsed against the wall behind him like a limp rag doll. He seemed to have passed out, but came to mere moments later, and looking very different.

"…ugh…I feel filthy…" Nyx's voice muttered. She had regained control, and was in a proper female form. "God, I hate being turned into a man…" She staggered to her feet, using the wall for support, and suddenly realized that although the Beast had done her the favor of fixing her gender, he didn't finish the job completely. "What the- That sonovabitch! He was supposed to grow my hair back out too! Lazy ass…"

She bent over so that her shortened hair flopped down over her face, and began combing through it with her fingers. As she worked at it, her black locks grew longer and longer, stopping only when she was satisfied with the length. Flipping her hair back over her head so it smacked against the wall, she stood up straight again, and her eyes just happened to fall directly on Snape.

"Well, _you_ certainly look better," she said cheerily, despite a rather odd look on her face. "How are you feeling? He didn't do anything weird to you, did he?"

Snape shrugged. "I feel perfectly normal." _Why does everyone keep asking me that?_

"Oh, that's a relief. You never know with him…" she trailed off, still acting a bit strange. Her eyes wandered around, avoiding Snape at all costs, until they spotted her blood ruby lying on the floor nearby. "Ah, so _that's_ where that went!" she said brightly as she went to pick it up. She mended the broken chain and cleaned off the blood with a single wave of her hand, but stopped when she began to slip it over her head.

Nyx stood there for a moment, contemplating the piece of jewelry in her hand, before turning to her two friends. "What say we go finish our little walk, since we were interrupted last time?"

Lupin and Snape glanced at each other before agreeing and following her out the door. Did the Beast put her on Happy Mode before he left the body, or was she hiding something from them again? Whatever the case, they had a feeling that they should just go along with whatever she suggested.

The girl stopped beneath the awning of the porch, and the two behind her almost collided into her back. She turned around and asked, "Hey Sev, could you do me a favor?"

"Do I have a choice?" he asked dryly.

"Don't be too mad at me, okay?"

Nyx suddenly threw the blood ruby around his neck, shortened the chain with a spell so that it was practically choking him, grabbed him by the shoulders, shoved him out onto the lawn, and yanked his head back by the hair so that he was staring straight up at the full moon. As thick black fur began to sprout all over his body, his pupils dilated and his teeth morphed his mouth into a deadly weapon. His hands and feet reshaped themselves into paws, and a tail popped out the back of his robes. The rest of his body followed suit for about a minute, until Snape was once again in the body of an animal. This time however, it was a wolf.

Nyx, who had jumped back as soon as the transformation began, was now sitting on the grass in a heap, looking like she wanted to cry. Lupin was simply gaping at the other man with his mouth hanging open in disbelief. _There's no way…there's just no way he can be one of us…_

Snape remained sitting on the grass with his back to them, staring silently at his paws as if he was lost in a dream. It seemed like an eternity before he craned his head around to meet Nyx's eyes and gave her the most pitiful "tell me this isn't happening to me" look she had ever seen in her life.

The girl sort of half-staggered, half-tripped over to her friend as her vision became slightly impeded by a thin layer of mist. She dropped to her knees, landing beside him with her head bowed in shame and self-disgust. Snape remained staring at her with his brilliant emerald-green eyes like a zombie.

"I'm…I'm so _sorry_, Sev…" she choked out. "If I had known what he did to you before now…it wouldn't have to be this way…b-but, now…" She faltered and let out a quiet sob. She suddenly threw her arms around the black wolf and cried passionately, _"I'm so sorry!"_

Snape opened his mouth ever so slightly, so that he could say in no more than a strangled whisper, "I'm…I have…?"

Nyx nodded slowly, grimacing like the movement was causing her serious pain. "You're like _me_ now."

Snape's entire body went limp as the truth stabbed him in the heart. His undead stare was mixed with one of dawning horror, and a look of complete hopelessness.

"No…" Lupin breathed. "No, that can't be possible! He wasn't bitten by anything! How could he possibly have it?"

"…the Beast did it," Nyx murmured into her friend's dark fur. "…when he turned you into a cat…"

"But, that doesn't make any sense…" the other werewolf protested. "How can he have done it?"

"He can do things like that…" the girl said sullenly. "He can also change people's appearances…which makes things even worse…"

"Why would he do such a thing? I don't understand…" Lupin said, half to himself.

"To hurt me," Nyx said, screwing up her eyes so that no tears spilled out. "Sev is one of my best friends, and he knows I don't want to see him suffer, especially not in the way that I already have myself. What's even worse for me is probably good for Sev, though…"

"…oh…his face, right?" Lupin asked quietly.

"Yeah." Nyx sniffled. "He looks exactly like my brother."

"Your _brother_?" the werewolf on the porch yelped in surprise. "But…but isn't he…dead?"

"He has been for quite some time, Moony," she muttered moodily.

"But then…I don't mean to be insensitive, but how do you know Severus looks like him if he's dead? He was quite a bit younger than you – and Severus for that matter – the last time you saw him, wasn't he?"

"I remember Vincent very, _very_ well. I never got to see him when he was a grown man, but the resemblance is too strong to be anyone else. And why would it be anyone else anyway? The Beast wouldn't go through the trouble of overhauling someone else's appearance if it wasn't going to benefit him."

"I…I'm still not sure I understand why he would do something like this…" Lupin said, trying to be as gentle as possible. Nyx was normally encased in a shell of steel, but when it cracked even a little, anything in the world could pierce through and deliver a near-fatal wound to her mental state.

"I miss my brother terribly," she replied. "Since I can't resurrect him yet, seeing his image in Sev is just rubbing it in my face even more. From the moment I first saw him, I always knew he reminded me of Vincent, in looks and personality. It didn't bother me back then the way it's bothering me right now, because it wasn't so obvious. If I'm weakened by that, it makes it easier for the Beast to take control. To make matters worse, he gave him SMS, so now I have to see both one of my best friends _and_ my beloved little brother suffer like that…"

Lupin's ears turned down as Nyx's voice failed her. He'd never seen her get this upset over something before, which was little surprise because it usually took quite a lot to bypass her defenses. But as the Beast knew all too well, even after she puts her broken pieces back together, she'll be dangerously fragile for a long time afterwards. That made it well worth the effort to break her since it would require much less work the next time, as long as she didn't completely heal yet.

Nyx clung to her wronged friend for a little while longer until she sensed that the Normals were thinking about checking up on them. She didn't want Snape to endure any more humiliation and pain than he already had. They wouldn't know how to act, and they would definitely do something to make things worse. _Normals have a way of doing things like that. _

She slowly rose to her feet, leaving one hand on the side of Snape's face, stroking it gently to try to calm him. "I need you to do everyone a favor, Moony," Nyx said softly without looking at him. "When you turn back into your human form, tell them Sev and I went home – as in, to his house. If they ask questions, convince them that you don't know any more than they do. They don't need to know what's happened just yet. No one does."

"I promise," Lupin said solemnly. "Where are you _really_ going?"

"We're going to my citadel. I want to be with Sev right now; we both need it." Nyx rubbed at her eye before continuing. "I need to see exactly what his capabilities are and teach him how to use them to his benefit, too. He and I are cursed, but that doesn't mean we can't get anything good out of it."

The werewolf almost smiled. "It's unusual to hear you being so optimistic."

"Not really," she replied, turning her head towards him. "I said earlier that if I don't like something, I'll change it to something I _do_ like. If I can't change it, I'll figure out a way to make it turn out good for me in the end anyway. The optimism in that is a little more obvious when it's not just in theory. I've been going by that for a while now, so I guess I'm less pessimistic than I used to be."

"You're a dreadfully confusing woman, Nyx," Lupin said with a small grin. His head spun around to face the door behind him just as the Normals were approaching it. "You two had better go."

"Right," Nyx said, crouching down to Snape's level again. She placed her hands on both sides of his face, closed her eyes and envisioned herself strangling the Beast to death. When she felt skin instead of fur, she opened her eyes and stood up; Snape was back in his human form (though still with Vincent's face) thanks to the Beast, who had received a little prompting from Nyx.

"Thanks for everything, Moony," she said as she hoisted a still-dazed Snape to his feet. "I'll see if I can work out a time and an excuse for you to come see the place sometime. Until then, don't let the Normals drive you crazy."

"Same to you," Lupin chuckled.

Just as Mr. Weasley opened the front door, Nyx spun on her heel and with a loud crack, she and Snape were gone.

--- to be continued in Chapter 27 : Doppelganger II ---

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (With exception of Nyx, SMS and anything or anyone else I forgot.) 

**A/N:** God I hate homework. If I hadn't been so overloaded for like a week and a half, AND sick as a dog, I would have had this done SO much sooner, and it would have had a lot more to it than this. This is the shortest chapter I've written since chapter 3. -oy vey- The next chapter might be around the same length, and hopefully not shorter. I don't like posting really short chapters for some reason... Anyway, if any future chapters get delayed for a rediculously long span of time, blame my homework load. (I should be able to get a lot done over the next few days, though, because I now mysteriously have next to nothing to do. -sigh- These teachers drive me crazy.) Oh, and I decided to post what I had now just so that I could get something up as soon as possible, even though it's so short.

**General Notes:** In the words of a classmate of mine, "Snapey's _fiiine_." ...okay, she didn't say Snape but whatever. There's a story behind that one. Last year in one of my classes we were playing that one game where you stick a notecard on someone's back, and they don't know what name is written on it, but everyone else does, and the person has to guess who they are with "yes or no" questions. (Don't ask why we were playing this because I really have no idea.) Anyway, she was Jesus, and the first question she asked was "is it a guy?" We said "yeah," and then she said, "is he fine?" (as in hot, sexy or good-looking for those who haven't heard the phrase before) and we couldn't answer for a couple minutes because we were laughing too hard. Honestly, what are you supposed to say to that?

The Beast is such a little prick. Plus he think's he's Tigger for some reason. -imagnes him singing "The Most Wonderful Thing About Tiggers" while bouncing around and generally being hyper- -cracks up- Anyway, now you kow why Nyx hates it so much when he 'escapes,' and why she didn't want to enlist his help in curing Snape - even though she had no clue it was his fault in the first place. Speaking of which, Snapey needs a **_major _**hug. -hugs him- (Snape: ...go away... -very depressed-) -beats Beast's face in with a chair- You had that coming, asshole. -glare- -throws a Pity Party for Snape-

I happened to notice something the last time I watched Disney's The Little Mermaid (because it was in my Top 5 Favorite Movies as a child, I find it really funny that I still remember all the lines since I watched it 500,000 times). Nyx and Vanessa (Ursula's human form) are very similar. They look similar, they sound similar (her voice is close to how I imagine Nyx's voice, but lacking the British accent), thier evil laugh is nearly identical, they're both witches, they can change physical form at will, they have evil minions, they have an awesome lair, they wear black and other dark colors, they're conniving and manipulative, they have a ruler-of-the-world complex, and they both came _thiiis_ close to marrying a guy with black hair and blue eyes. (Nyx and Kalixius, Vanessa/Ursula and Eric.) Wierd, huh?

...speaking of which, Eric is probably where I got the color palette for Jack and Kalixius, at least for hair and eyes. I don't recall having a "crush" on Eric, but I liked him otherwise, so that probably explains it. (When in doubt, blame Disney. Ha.)

There are other Disney villains that remind me of Nyx, but I don't think I remember them all right this moment. Malefecent (Sleeping Beauty) is one off the top of my head, and so is Jafar (Aladdin) - especially the annoying talking bird for a sidekick. XD (Jack: I'm not annoying! -pout-) Just kidding. -pats his head-

**Preview:** When I originally planned this chapter out, the title was pretty much everything. Since I had to cut it in half, that should give you a clue as to what to expect in the next chapter because the title still fits. :D (For those who don't know, a "doppelganger" is someone who looks exactly like you or someone else. It's not like a clone of someone, though; more like a really bizarre coincidence that someone in the world looks exactly like you.) But besides that, I'll tease you with some words: angry Snape, angry Jack, _**REALLY SUPER FREAKING ANGRY**_ Nyx, and a BFS. (Big Fucking Snake)

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**---** **k**avi - **s**ama **---**


	27. Chapter 27: Doppelganger II

Chapter 27 : Doppelganger II

Ripley awoke with a start. He was getting that feeling again; the one he hadn't experienced in far too long for his liking. That feeling always reminded him of the one he got right before he opened a present from someone who liked him, so he was almost 100 percent sure it would be something good. But today, it confused and partially alarmed him at the same time.

_She couldn't have…could she?_

There was only one easy way to find out. He hopped out of bed and threw some decent clothes on as he made his way to the door. A short walk down two floors and into the entry hall later, the man stood lurking in the shadow of a doorway, waiting for his prey to come into view. Within seconds, Nyx appeared from under the archway leading to the Apparating Platform, followed by an anonymous person. The person's entire frame was draped in a black cloak, with the hood pulled up and over their face. They seemed to be hiding beneath it as if they were ashamed to let anyone see them, like a leper.

Ripley's eyebrows raised as his golden eyes locked onto the stranger. …_Interesting. **Very** interesting. _He thought, stroking his beard absently.

The person under the cloak felt a disturbing chill and stopped dead. Their eyes turned towards the shadowy doorway, where they seemed to sense something unfriendly, but there wasn't a trace of anyone there.

"Something wrong, Sev?" Nyx asked from several paces ahead.

"…no," he answered quietly. Snape pulled the hood down a little further and continued trailing along behind his friend into one of the main hallways. With his marvelous luck that day, it was no surprise that Jack wandered out of an adjoining room at the very same moment he walked by.

"Oh, there you are," he said pleasantly, noticing Nyx only after he looked up from the papers he was leafing through. It didn't strike him as odd that she was in her 'Ariana' form since he was so used to seeing it. "How'd it go?"

He was, of course, referring to Nyx's story about "going to fish around for new recruits." She was honestly happy she finally had a reason to use that as an excuse for something, since she believed it to be a stroke of pure genius. No matter what the situation, she could always come up with something believable to go along with it.

"I got one," she replied proudly, gesturing to Snape like he was the catch of the day.

"Knew you would. Or hoped you would, anyway," Jack chuckled. He turned to face Snape and added, extending his hand politely, "I'm known as Evil Minion. And you are…?" He always made it a point to be nice to the newbies since he had to interact with them surprisingly often, and it generally made things go more smoothly…until they pissed him off and found out why not many of the underlings liked him.

"Uh…He'd rather keep his identity between himself and me," Nyx said quickly, jumping between them. She threw in a certain look that let him know the 'new recruit' was just as serious as he was about the whole concealed identity thing.

"Oh, I see," Jack said, pulling his hand back and giving the hooded figure an understanding glance. "When you get an alias, tell me what it is so I don't just refer to you as 'rookie.' No one seems to put up with that for very long."

Snape gave him a vague shrug and Jack assumed it meant that he understood and agreed.

"Oh, I almost forgot one other thing," the 2nd-in-command added. "Sakura and her father are in Japan for the week. Father-daughter bonding time, I suppose. He hasn't been as much of a pain in the ass lately, though I'm not saying he's the most wonderful person in the world, but she didn't seem to mind anyway. Sakura tried to kidnap Maxu again, too, but he managed to survive by telling her he'd join them for just the last two days. Don't know how he pulled that one off, but I digress."

"Oh, alright then. Thanks…er, well, if that's all, he and I have some business to take care of, so if you don't mind we'll be going now," Nyx said with a grin, tugging on the cloak gently as opposed to dragging the helpless man off. Snape followed immediately, ignoring Jack's farewell.

The confused man stared after the pair as they scampered off, wondering if the stranger's reason for anonymity was similar to his own. _More importantly, I'd like to know where the hell she finds all these weird people…_

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Nyx kicked open the ballroom door, tossed Snape inside, dashed in and slammed it shut behind her. She fell back against the ornate woodwork and sighed in relief. "That was _way_ too close…"

"I concur," Snape said shortly. He flipped the hood off his head, but left the cloak on; it was actually pretty comfy.

The woman straightened up and started walking down the stairs to the lower floor, where the seats and tables from Christmastime were nowhere to be found. "Jack and I have some sort of mental connection that lets me tell him when to stop being curious without actually saying it. Comes in quite handy, you know. I blame it on the fact that he's a Ragshiel, but whatever…"

The newly made SM followed after her once again, as sullenly as ever. "Where are you putting me for the night?" he asked, totally ignoring her.

Nyx stopped and turned to face him in surprise. Was it her imagination, or did that flat, exhausted, joyless tone sound exactly like her? "…uh, I guess that means you're tired. Or you're just sick of me."

He nodded.

"…I won't ask which one it was. Anyway, I think you should stay in the room across from mine. If you need anything during the night I'm close by so it won't be a problem."

"Aren't you a complete bitch when you get woken up in the middle of the night?"

"…I'll (try to remember to) make an exception tonight."

"Promise?"

_Damn that man._ "…yes."

Snape may have felt like his entire future was dead and buried, never to return, but he hadn't forgotten to exploit one of Nyx's faults; she lies like a madman, but she **_always_ **keeps her promises.

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After leaving Snape off at his temporary room, Nyx retired to her own suite to relax and try to calm her nerves. She sent notes down to Jack, Maxu and the not-quite-as-high-ups, warning them that she planned on staying in her room until morning and that she would be _very_ displeased if she were disturbed before then. Jack found this quite peculiar since she had only left with the 'new recruit' about fifteen minutes before he got the note, and there was no way they could have been done with all that paperwork yet. But as he remembered the unusual situation, and how his master was behaving a little strangely, he supposed that she simply wanted to call it a day and be left alone. So, he had no intention of finding out what was wrong this time, warning or no.

After sending the notes to the other minions, Nyx sent another to Edgar, telling him to get her a Bloody Mary and make it snappy. Oreos wouldn't be enough to make her feel better tonight; she needed vodka. And blood. And cyanide. Like I said, she needed Edgar to make her a Bloody Mary – or at least _her_ version of it. Although she was unaffected by poisons, Nyx always made sure she ingested enough to kill her every day in case she happened to turn mortal any time soon. Because the poison would stay in her system for a while, and because she ingested so much, it was _bound_ to shorten her life as much as possible. The hydrogen cyanide in just one of her Bloody Marys would kill a normal person in 2 or 3 minutes, so she was positive that she wouldn't have to suffer long once she became mortal. But until then, she found it added a sort of bittersweet zing to the drink, and she rather liked it.

As Nyx lay on her bed, staring blankly out the window and munching on an Oreo while blasting a Nine Inch Nails CD, she faintly heard a knock on the door. She was expecting that; Edgar could pass through walls unhindered, but her Bloody Mary couldn't. She rose to her feet, paused the music, wandered to the door and let the undead butler in.

"Thanks," she muttered, taking the full glass from him and downing a third of it. When he didn't leave immediately, she sighed and added a bit nastily, "…do we need something or do we just like staring at Nyx for absolutely no reason to see how long it takes to make her grumpy?"

"I noticed something as I passed Severus' room," the ghost replied, ignoring her rudeness. After demanding her Bloody Mary in the note, Nyx briefly explained what happened with Snape since it was Edgar's business to know. "It seems he's doing everything within his power to end his life, but he's obviously not having much success. I do believe he's making a dreadful mess out of that room, though, and the furniture is really quite valuable, so I'm not sure you would care to have his blood all over everything. I wouldn't be surprised if he's broken half the place already, besides."

"Leave him alone. I don't give a shit about the furniture."

Edgar gave an annoyed sigh. "Are you _quite_ sure, my lord? It's not serving any purpose, other than to give _me_ something else to clean up."

"Do not_ question_ me, butler," she said icily, glaring at him. "It _does_ serve a purpose, although I wouldn't expect you to comprehend it. An intense suicidal urge is natural for SMs who still have their sanity, even though they know full well that they won't die no matter what they do. He needs to get it out of his system, and now is the perfect time for it. He should be behaving normally tomorrow. You are _not_ to interfere with him; that is an order."

"Y…yes, my lord. I-I apologize," the ghost stammered, averting his eyes. How could he have forgotten that it was Nyx who set the record for Most Suicide Attempts In One Day, and then later broke that record?

"Good. You may leave until I need my drink refreshed," Nyx said, turning on her heel and stalking away. "And would you be so kind as to remember that you and I are meeting with Severus tomorrow to educate him on what he's become?"

"Yes, my lord. In the ballroom, correct?"

"Correct. That will be all. Now get out."

Edgar floated out of the room quickly, if only to make sure he didn't make her lose her temper, which was already boiling just beneath her skin. She didn't have time to write out all of her feelings regarding the day's events, but Edgar was certain that she was in a particularly foul mood. That, of course, was a severe understatement.

As she trudged back over to her sleeping quarters, Nyx took a few more sips of her drink. The concoction of blood, alcohol and poison only fueled her rage even more, and made her wish more than ever that the Beast was a separate entity just so she could beat the daylights out of him for spite and venting purposes. But as she paced back and forth in front of the fireplace, the truth made itself obnoxiously apparent, her temper flared up yet again. In that moment of no self-control, she swung her arm back and chucked the glass into the fire with furious force, shattering it into a million pieces and causing a momentary flare-up as the alcohol was consumed by the flames.

But once she had done it, she felt a horrible, sick emptiness, and a sudden craving for the drink she just wasted. All the frustration mounting inside her nearly forced out a tear, but she refused to have a moment of weakness again that day. She flicked her fingers at the fire, and the glass repaired itself before the liquid reappeared inside, and then it all hovered into her waiting hand.

Nyx sipped at the Bloody Mary quietly, and as she did, it registered in her mind exactly what she was drinking. The thought made her feel sicker and sadder than ever, and she couldn't take another drop. Nyx set the glass next to the phone, yanked the cord out of the wall, and crept over to her bed, rubbing her shoulders because they suddenly felt terribly cold.

The woman flopped onto the bed and stuffed her head underneath the mountain of pillows, sniffling quietly, and cursing her existence. The only way this could turn out to be a good day was if she died in her sleep that night, and she knew better than anyone that that was not going to happen.

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The next morning started off promising. Edgar had apparently brought Nyx's breakfast up to her room before she was even awake, so she thankfully didn't need to see anyone right away. Once she was done eating, she thought it would be a good idea to check up on Snape, but he wasn't in his room. There was no sign of his alleged suicide attempts of the night before, either.

_Maybe Edgar already cleaned it all up, _she thought.

But she wasn't really that concerned anyway, so she let it slip her mind. Instead Nyx began wandering the halls in search of her friend; she normally would have been able to pinpoint him with her extra-sensory abilities, but vodka had a way of numbing them, so they were currently useless. Fortunately she found the butler fairly quickly, and he was able to tell her that Snape was in the West Wing, skulking around one of the libraries.

Nyx made her way to that area of the citadel and found her friend right where she expected him to be; between the shelves of books on forbidden dark magic and potions manuals. Snape was standing with his back to her, flipping disinterestedly through All You Ever Wanted To Know About Poisons But Were Afraid To Ask.

"Good morning," she said in a very half-assed attempt to be cheerful.

Snape didn't say a word, but he stopped pretending to read so she knew he heard her.

"How did you sleep last night?" Nyx asked. She had no intention of bringing up his other activities unless he did first; she felt that one's suicidal intentions were too private to be discussed.

"…don't even go there," he replied in a low voice without turning around. He slammed the book shut and shoved it back into its place on the shelf, and returned to his sulking.

"I see," she muttered. "I'd like to have a sort of meeting with you, if you wouldn't mind terribly."

"…about…?"

"About your condition. There are some things you need to know as soon as possible, and now seems to be a good time to inform you. My butler will be there as well."

"What for?"

Nyx's mouth curved into that twisted smile again. "Let's just say he's a walking – or floating, rather – encyclopedia on the subject."

Snape finally turned to face her in order to give her a very confused look. But when she didn't embellish on that, he said briskly, "Well, I suppose you're going to force me to go anyway, so we might as well get the bloody thing over with."

With that he began striding out of the library purposefully…until Nyx caught up with him and asked in a sickeningly polite voice, "Would you happen to know where you're headed, my good sir?"

The man stopped on a dime, realized the fool he'd just made out of himself, and glowered at her.

"The ballroom," she said simply, grinning at him.

With a huff, Snape continued stomping out of the room, followed by his friend, who was finding it very difficult not to laugh at him.

Just as she made it into the hallway, one of Nyx's minions ran up to her, seemingly appearing out of thin air. She immediately knew he was part of the group that was carrying out Operation Find-the-Cheese (brilliantly named by Sakura), because of the dainty yellow triangle sewn onto the collar of his uniform.

Bowing to her respectfully, the out-of-breath minion panted, "So glad I finally found you, my lord…The Cheese…has been placed…in the Fridge…"

Nyx's eyes lit up. "Has it now?"

"Yes…we've just returned…" he replied, beginning to catch his breath.

The woman's twisted grin returned as she said rather benevolently, "Thank you. I'm exceedingly pleased that you got it here so quickly."

The young man smiled and laughed weakly. "It was _hell_ trying to get him to cooperate with us, though. Good thing you gave us that ring or we'd all be dead right now."

"And you all thought I was being ridiculous when I said that would work," Nyx chuckled. "Where is it now?"

"The Cheese demanded we leave it with him," the minion said. "He also _strongly_ suggested that you go see him immediately."

"Oh, god forbid I keep the Cheese waiting," she said, rolling her eyes. "If that's all, you can have the rest of the week off."

The minion's face lit up with pure joy. "R-really? The whole week?"

"Yes. Tell the others in your group, too. It's a reward for being so quick, and I know you couldn't have _possibly_ done the job wrong."

The young man thanked her profusely before running off, practically singing out of pure happiness.

Once he was out of sight, Nyx turned to Snape and said cheerily, "Looks like there's going to be a little change in plans. We need to go see the Cheese."

"What. In. The. Hell. Are. You. Yammering. About?" he said through gritted teeth. One thing that annoyed him profusely as when people talked about something he knew nothing about, and made it sound stupid.

"You'll see in a moment," she answered, grinning. At that she grabbed him by the hand and started prancing off towards the dungeons, to the particular cell that had been codenamed "the Fridge." Snape considered it a point in his favor that he resisted the urge to prance along with her.

As soon as they arrived at "the Fridge," Snape had a feeling that this "Cheese" character was going to be impressive. The door leading into the cell, the largest in the citadel, was made of thick, heavy steel, with no windows looking in or out. Half the door was choked in some 50 bolts and locks of every kind, not counting the spells that had undoubtedly been placed on it as well.

"Should I be concerned?" the professor asked, eyeing the door uncomfortably.

"Not anymore," Nyx replied, undoing every single lock on the door with but a wave of her hand. "After all, nothing can kill you anymore, so why should you care?"

That wasn't quite what he meant, but Snape couldn't help but feel a _bit_ better. That was probably why she was acting so carefree as she flung the door open and skipped into the cavernous cell, grinning like an idiot the whole way. Now he also began to understand why Nyx often acted the way she did – like a sugarhigh 4-year old – simply because nothing could really bother her anymore. After last night, Snape also noted that behaving so idiotically didn't leave much room for depression, either. Since Nyx had so many reasons to be depressed over one thing or another, he could definitely see why she tried to avoid that state of mind altogether.

But when he tried to imagine himself acting like she did, he just felt sick. _Well, what works for one person isn't guaranteed to work for them all, I suppose. _He thought, trying to get the image of himself being hyper out of his mind.Nyx did it for him by asking him a seemingly random question.

"_Can you understand me_?"

"Of course I can," he replied, confused and a bit worried that she was playing some kind of prank on him.

"_Oh, lovely. This saves me the hassle of translating_."

"What in the _world_ are you talking about?"

"_What, you didn't realize_?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "_I'm speaking Parseltongue right now_."

"…_**what?"**_

Nyx chuckled at the astounded expression on his face. "_You shouldn't be **too** surprised. Vincent was a Parselmouth, too, and since you look like him I kinda figured you'd have some of his abilities as well_. _Not entirely sure how the Beast pulled **that** one off, but I can find out later…_"

Snape was at a loss for words, just standing there gaping at her with his mouth hanging open, so she gave up on him and turned to face the huge, pitch-black cell before her. She took a step or two forward, staying in the light of the doorway, towards a small glittering object on the floor. The girl bent down and placed her hand over it to pick it up, but stopped when a long, skinny forked tongue flicked out of the shadows and brushed against her hand. She stood there calmly, even though Snape (who was lingering at the doorway because he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something unpleasant inside) had jumped a little.

After a moment, a low, raspy hiss echoed through the room; _"…you're **late**, Nyx_."

The girl smirked and retrieved her star-shaped-diamond ring off the floor. "_Charming as ever, Valikzat_."

--- to be continued in Chapter 28 : Doppelganger III ---

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (With exception of the usuals.) 

**A/N:** If you were wondering what took so long, I have an easy answer for you. If you live in the U.S. and were up-to-date with the national news around October 13th, then you would know about the awful storm that hit the Western New York area around that time. (For those who don't know what I'm talking about, go look it up.) Well, that was me. I live in one of the towns that had the most damage from that, and my power was out for 4 days - which I'm incredibly thankful wasn't more than that. My internet was down for another two or three days after that, and my phone lines are still out (note that this is _**two weeks**_ later). So thank you to everyone who wanted to bitch at me for not updating, and chose not to, because there was nothing I could do about it. (By the way, I have officially decided to move as soon as I turn 18. I'm not putting up with this shit anymore; it's OCTOBER, and snow is rediculous. -pulls hair out-)

**General Notes:** The only thing I really have to say for this chapter is that I'm sure you're all very excited about Valikzat bieng in the picture now, but he, sadly, won't have his 15 Minutes of Fame until a bit later. (Vali: _Boo_.)

**Preview:** As usual, this chapter was getting much too long, so I had to chop it up. Again. If I could have had my way, this chapter would have been around 5,000 words and then the next would have been the same, but because of how I spaced everything out that wouldn't have worked at all. The next chapter is very nearly complete, though, so expect it soon! (If you want a 'proper' Preview: Nyx flips her freaking lid and Jack finally gets a hug. Yay for him.)

**Reviews:** I have a simple request here; **_PLEASE SEND ME MORE REVIEWS_**. Lately I'm lucky if I get 2 or 3, and all but one of those are from people I personally know so they don't count in this situation. I used to get a lot more, and I _know _people are still reading this, so PLEEEEASE review? It's not helping anyone if you really like/hate something if you don't tell me so I can either keep doing what you like or maybe stop doing what you hate. Plus it's not making me want to update quickly if I know I won't get many reviews, so there's not much for me to look forward to. I'm not saying that I won't update if you don't review, but more feedback woud make me a lot more enthusiastic about writing and probably make me get these chapters up quicker (assuming the weather holds out...).

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**---** **k**avi - **s**ama **---**


	28. Chapter 28: Doppelganger III

Chapter 28 : Doppelganger III

Edgar paced back and forth in front of the main door leading out of the ballroom, looking as sour-pussed as ever. They were _very_ late. The meeting was supposed to have started two hours ago, but he didn't go looking for Nyx after seeing what a mood she was in the night before. He knew that if he left, they would be sure to come in right afterwards, and then he'd get bitched at for not being there, regardless of how long _he_ had to wait for them.

The ghostly butler floated over to the table supporting a mountain of folders, and a thick, black book with yellowed pages. He only hoped that Nyx had actually gone through all those like she said she had, since he gave them to her about two months ago. That didn't include the book, though, as that was his own stolen property and he kept it somewhere safe whenever it wasn't being used. Not that it was used often, he admitted a bit regretfully. The things in that old book would be useful only in situation like the one at hand, so that made him glad he thieved it from it's original owners, even if most of the time it sat around collecting dust.

Edgar turned to the clock by the stairs; Nyx and Snape were now officially 2 hours and 3 minutes late. Just as he gave a huff and returned to his pacing, the door right in front of him swung open, and his master waltzed in, looking much happier than she'd been in a while. Snape seemed to be in a better mood, too, but he looked a bit dazed as well.

Edgar halted in front of Nyx and said as calmly and politely as he could, "You're late."

"The Cheese was delivered just as we were on our way here, and he demanded I see him at once, so I obviously couldn't refuse," she replied, totally unfazed by his forwardness.

The butler's mouth dropped open a little in shock. "Y-you mean _he_ is here? Right now?"

"Yep," Nyx replied cheerily.

"W-well, I-I'm…I don't know what to…I'm **_really_** standing under the same roof as the most infamous basilisk of all time?" the ghost asked, fidgeting excitedly.

"That's what I said."

This newfound knowledge seemed to overwhelm Edgar, so that he had to walk around for a bit, muttering to himself and shaking his head, grinning all the while.

"But remember," Nyx added sternly. "This operation is a secret from almost everyone here, so don't you dare go blabbing about it. The higher-ups know it exists and that I was trying to locate and recover _some_thing, but I obviously couldn't tell them the truth. By the way, it turns out Vali _was_ in South America, just as I predicted."

"It's so strange hearing you refer to the great Valikzat as 'Vali'…" the ghost said as if she should be ashamed of herself.

"Oh, please. I grew up with him and he's like my twin brother, except scaly," she said. "He doesn't call me by _my_ full name – and it's a damn good thing he doesn't – so why should I call him by his?"

"…w-well, anyway…when can I meet him?" Edgar asked, his eyes positively shining with hope.

"Not today," his master answered. "He's still kinda pissed about having to obey lowly humans, even if showing him my ring proved that I was behind the whole thing. Vali said that was the only reason he let them bring him here without snacking on anyone, and bothering to keep his eyes closed most of the time. Considering the fact that his eyes can still affect you, I wouldn't put it past him to do something mean if he doesn't want a visitor."

"I see," he said dejectedly. "Well, in that case, now that we're all here, shall we get started?"

Nyx nodded and turned to Snape, who was still a bit overwhelmed from his meeting with the 100-foot-long Valikzat. "Like I said before, we're doing this in order to fill you in on some things you really ought to know."

"Before you get to all that," he interrupted, pointing at Edgar. "Why is _he_ here again?"

"So _glad_ you asked!" Nyx chirped. She proceeded to prance over to the table with the book and folders while asking, "Remember when you gave me that book that supposedly told me everything I need to know about SMS?"

"Yes."

"And remember how you thought I knew all that only because you gave me that book?"

"Yes…"

"Well, that was a lie."

"I _knew_ you'd say that."

"Edgar told me everything I could ever learn about SMS 16 years ago, when I met him. The moment he saw me, he knew what I was, and he told me so. Really quite rude of him, but I digress…"

"And how, pray tell, did _he_ know everything he told you?"

"Before I tell you that, do you recall a certain Ministry-approved organization devoted to the study of SMS? The one that created SMs out of and experimented with human beings?"

"Yes," Snape replied with a shiver. Apparently, unless he was one himself, the thought of that whole business didn't bother him.

"I was one of the top researchers working on that project, called 'Black Dawn,'" Edgar said. "I worked with them for 50 years or so, until I died on the job. I suppose its poetic justice that one of the SMs I was in charge of ended up killing me…"

"So, like I said before," Nyx butted in. "Edgar knows everything there is to know about it since it was his business to know. It's also because of him that I haven't lost control more often than I have, so I owe him quite a lot."

"All debts will be repaid as long as you resurrect me once you learn how," the butler said, giving her a sideways glance.

"Of course," she replied, smiling. She turned back to Snape and said, "So, we might as well start off by clearing a few things up. That book you gave me wasn't entirely accurate or complete –"

"- even though the individual who wrote it got a hold of many Black Dawn records and documents, and used those for their sources," Edgar added.

"Right," Nyx said. "But the reason the information was wrong was because most SMs involved with Black Dawn were an awful lot like me; talented liars who got a lot of practice. Because of the nature of the experiments that were done, only a handful had completely definite answers. For example, something either does or does not kill an SM. Pretty simple, right? The _other_ experiments were the ones that they made the mistakes with.

"The people that were being used as lab rats were obviously pissed off at those responsible, but because of the extreme restraining measures used on them, they couldn't all rise up and rebel against their captors or something like that. A lot of them just accepted it and cooperated, but others needed revenge in some form or another. The only way they could screw with the researchers was to lie and do everything they could to corrupt their data. If an SM was getting needles poked through their arms to see if they felt pain, the SM would do the opposite of whatever they were feeling. If it hurt, they would keep a straight face or act like it tickled. If they couldn't even feel it, they'd start screaming and crying like it was killing them."

"Not all of them could pull this off, though," the ghost said. "One needs to have an _incredible_ willpower and conviction to make their acting believable, and the weaker SMs simply couldn't manage it. Unfortunately, there were plenty that _could_ lie to us successfully. Because we were very thorough in our experiments, we got a lot of results, and those that lied would throw everything off. Even if it seemed like it should be one way, the liars would make us second-guess ourselves. We didn't change our conclusions every time, but some experiments had to be discounted completely because we couldn't come to a solid conclusion."

"Those experiments were left out of that book for that reason," Nyx said. "Obviously they couldn't write, 'we know this does _something_ to them, but we're not sure what.'"

"So that's what I need to know?" Snape asked, feeling considerably nervous. "But if they didn't know the truth about these things, how do _you_?"

"Duh.**_ I_** have SMS," the woman said, making a face at him. "And in a situation like this, I wouldn't _dare_ lie to you."

"What a comforting thought," he muttered, not feeling at all better.

"Well, whether you believe me or not, I'm going to tell you what you need to know anyway. Firstly, not all SMs are totally out-of-control while transformed. Other than the first time and when the Beast forced me out yesterday, every time I've transformed I've been completely aware of it and completely in control. Eventually we're going to need to find out what happens when you transform, but it's not really urgent. I thought about having you transform last night, but that would have been way too much for you, not to mention if you were out of control you could kill someone and then we'd _both_ be in deep shit…"

"How considerate of you," the DADA professor said dryly. "But why would they lie about being in or out of control?"

"If they're supposedly out of control, it absolves them from all responsibility for their actions," Edgar replied grimly. "They can wreak as much havoc and kill as many people as they please, and they won't be blamed for any of it."

"Which is why I couldn't tell you that right away," Nyx added. "You never know when there's a situation where you just need to get something done, but you can't be punished for it… Anyway, there are some other things you should know that have to do with the Insanity Decline, but I'll let Edgar talk about those." As she finished she flipped open the old, black book, and a small puff of dust emerged. She found a page where, in handwritten maroon ink, a long list trailed across two sheets of the yellow paper. Different people had added to the list as well as made little corrections and annotations, or simply crossed things out.

Sensing Snape's curiosity, Edgar said, "This is one of the Black Dawn record books I mentioned earlier. This particular volume is about 200 years old, so it had to be corrected over the years."

"But how would you have it? Wasn't the whole thing disbanded years ago?" Snape asked suspiciously.

"That's correct, but that doesn't mean anything, to be quite blunt," the ghost replied. "Black Dawn was officially ended in 1981, but those of us who had been with the project for several decades didn't want to give up on it so easily. So, a group of about 25, including myself, stole as many of the records as we could – which was almost all of them - and fled with two SMs to continue our research with. Otherwise, the records would have gone into the Ministry's hands, never to be seen again, and all the SMs would have been allowed to go live amongst humanity."

"Why did you only take two?" Snape asked. "Wouldn't it have made more sense to take ten or something?"

"We could only take two because it required so many of us to restrain even one," Edgar replied a bit ruefully. "It didn't amount to much anyway, so I suppose the number didn't really matter. You see, as soon as we reached our new base of operations, both of the SMs went insane. We decided that the stress of being told that they would be freed, and then having that taken away from them, was what made them snap. The woman died within a day, but the man lasted for a week. By the time he seemed to be nearing the end of his life, the Ministry was practically at our doorstep. We knew we'd all be severely punished for what we'd done, possibly sent to Azkaban, so we decided to try something rather drastic. 'Do or die,' if you will.

"No one in the 500-year history of the Black Dawn organization had ever been able to achieve this, so it was assumed to be impossible. We, however, ignored that. It was always said that once an SM enters the Insanity Decline, they remain there until their death. Many of us often wondered if there was a way to pull them out of the Decline before it was too late, and thereby save them, but no one had the first idea where to begin with it. That last night, I don't know how, but someone started trying to pull 172 – the SM that was with us – out of it, and everyone just started joining in."

"What exactly were you doing to him?" the other man asked, giving him a weird look.

"I…you know, I'm not sure I remember…most of that night is a blur to me…" the butler replied in a murmur, furrowing his brow in concentration. "Whatever it was, it seemed to be making 172 worse. I remember quite clearly how dreadfully violent he became, which is perfectly sensible as that was what killed me.

"I didn't see the end of all that for myself, but from what I understand, 172 was somehow 'fixed' by killing me. I don't mean that he was _cured_ – certainly not. He fully regained his sanity, though. My colleagues only had enough time to make absolutely certain he was sane and give him a nickname of sorts, before the Ministry showed up and arrested them. I believe they were all quietly put in Azkaban, and I doubt any of them lasted this long – especially with what happened back in February with that whole Black Monday fiasco."

"What do you mean by 'nickname'?" Snape asked. Perhaps his intense curiosity was a remnant of his cat form.

"In the past 100 years or so, certain SMs that stood out among the crowd were given nicknames to make them more memorable and easy-to-identify," Edgar explained. "Every SM that was a part of Black Dawn had a number as well, to identify them by. These were burned into the upper part of their left arms with blessed silver brand, which made the marks permanent and impossible to hide for long."

"They sound more like cattle than human beings," Snape said in a low voice, glancing at Nyx, who seemed perfectly calm.

She took one look at the expression on Edgar's face, and decided to intervene. "So the nicknames were totally superfluous, but they told you a bit about the person they were describing. Number 172 was called the Recovery because his sanity was recovered, number 54 was called the Vengeful because he constantly bad-mouthed and harassed the people in charge of him, and number 3 was called the Fallen Angel because although he looked perfectly harmless you would find that he was probably the worst SM to ever live, once you got to know him.

"There's also the legendary number 0, 'Origin,' or 'Mother,' who was the very first SM to ever live. This one isn't ever called 'Father' because they know the first SM was female, and they got that from the painting in that book and the story that went along with it. I assume that there was another copy of that painting somewhere because the one featured in the book was discovered fairly recently. She, of course, lived a millennium ago and couldn't _possibly_ be alive now."

"Are any of those other SMs still around?" Snape asked his friend.

"Not to anyone's knowledge, no," Edgar lied, cutting Nyx off. "Number 3 was obviously one of the first SMs to get involved with Black Dawn, and that would have been 500 years ago. Number 54 died in the 1700s, and number 172 is most likely dead by now. As of now I know of three living SMs in the world; you, Nyx, and one other who, if I am not mistaken, lives in Canada. He – or she, I tend to forget – had no part in Black Dawn, but we tried to keep track of all SMS cases worldwide for everyone's sake."

Nyx was not the least bit surprised that he lied about number 172 being alive and well, and probably hanging out only a floor above them that very moment. Snape didn't need to know that he once taught a 350-year-old SM who killed the ghost floating right in front of him. At least, not _yet_ he didn't.

"I realize I'm asking too many questions, but indulge me anyway," the Vincent-lookalike said. "How can you possibly remember all this about so many people?"

Nyx took a single step over and stood behind the huge pile of folders. She spread her arms out in front of her and said simply, "We don't have to."

Snape finally wandered over to the table to see what she was talking about, as she explained:

"Inside each of these folders is a ridiculously detailed profile on each and every SM that was ever involved with Black Dawn. Clearly they're not all here, otherwise the pile would be as tall as I am. These are just the ones that would be worth your time to look at. Anyway, each profile contains everything from basic information to psychoanalysis, plus a photograph or painted portrait of the subject if possible. Not every case is worth looking at, but some are quite insightful if not interesting. Number 172, number 54, and number 3 are all in here somewhere, if you were wondering."

That was safe to tell him; Ripley was in there, but his alias wasn't "Ripley von Engel" and he looked nothing like he did now in the picture. Snape would have to possess psychic powers to figure out who number 172 really was, and Nyx was pretty sure he didn't have any to speak of.

"Reading through at least half of these would give you some idea of what you might experience later on in life, or at least make you feel grateful that you aren't some of these poor devils. And before you ask, no, there isn't one in here about me." She gave him a bit of a look that clearly said, "if you thought I lied about having something to do with Black Dawn, I'm going to knock your head off."

"But to answer your original question," Edgar interrupted again. "I got all these through simple thievery. Before they were arrested, my colleagues had the sense to hide the records somewhere where the Ministry wouldn't find them. I was able to locate them recently because, luckily, I had a fair idea of where they would have put them. You may say that that isn't really stealing since we had them already, but it's all technically supposed to belong to the Ministry, so that's my logic."

Snape didn't think that made a whole lot of sense, but he decided not to question it. That butler was starting to irritate him anyway, so he didn't want to talk to him more than he had to.

"So, back to the Insanity Decline things…" Nyx said, grabbing their attention. "This is a listing of all the repeatedly observed characteristics of an SM in their Decline. These were impossible to publish because some of these only occurred a few rare times or under certain unusual conditions, and the whole thing would have been _very_ hard to validate and very easy for people to question. Although, considering how helpful this would be to certain people, they probably should have put it in that book anyway…"

"The point is that we strongly recommend you read through the list," the ghost said, giving him a dire look. "That way, if you start experiencing any of these 'symptoms' you'll know that you've probably begun your Decline."

Snape couldn't see how that was supposed to be helpful; all it did was make him worried and depressed, and it would be even worse when he figured out that he was going crazy. But he just nodded and moved in front of the book to start reading up on his possible future.

"This first one is particularly interesting," Edgar said, floating over beside him and pointing to the first word. "It needs a bit of explanation, though. What it means is-"

A loud knock from the main doors forced him to stop mid-sentence and look up in the direction it came from. Nyx and Snape followed suit, but she gave it an irritated look while he was more concerned about someone walking in and seeing him – you never know when you'll run into an acquaintance or ex-student.

"Didn't you tell them that we were not to be disturbed?" Nyx snapped at her butler.

"Yes," Edgar replied, looking just as annoyed as she was. He knew many of those little brats had no respect for him, which was why he made a point of saying that the order was straight from Nyx. Evidently they didn't even take _that _seriously. "Would you like me to send them away, my lord?"

"No, I'll handle this myself," she replied as she started making her way up the stairs purposefully.

The ghost watched for a moment, and then said to Snape, "You know, I suppose I ought to go with her in case whoever it is blames me for not warning them. If you have any questions abut anything in the list, I have answers, so kindly wait until I return."

The professor nodded and returned to staring dismally at the book. He only hoped every day of his life wasn't going to be as bad as they had been recently, and today was certainly no improvement.

In a moment, he heard Nyx jerk the door open and spit out, **_"What?"_** at whoever knocked. But she immediately had a change of attitude when she saw that it was Jack. At first he looked a little surprised that she was so crabby, but his expression soon gave way to a more determinedly pissed-off one.

She wondered why he got so mad when she snapped at him like that; it's not like she hadn't been much worse before. "This had better be important. I'm in the middle of something," she said in a less harsh voice.

"Then I'll get straight to the point," Jack replied in a much edgier voice than she was expecting. "Who the hell is in that coffin?"

Nyx stared. "…what…coffin…?"

"Don't play dumb, dammit, you know _exactly_ what coffin," he snapped back, glaring at her.

His master was seriously taken aback by his attitude; he had _never_ talked back to her like that before. "N-no, I really have _no_ idea what you're talking about."

The second-in-command sighed in obvious annoyance before saying, "The stone box-thing Commander Allen Howard brought back this morning – the one with the guy that looks _exactly_ like me and seems to have been cut in half inside it. Who _is_ he?"

If Nyx turned any paler they'd have to invent a new color to describe it. "…h-how do you know it's a 'he'?"

"Howard has the thing open for display in the study in the East Wing," Jack said as if she should already know.

But he immediately knew that something was wrong when Nyx suddenly seized him by the front of his robes and forcefully pinned him against the wall.

"**_What do you mean he OPENED it?"_** she snarled.

The look in her eyes was beyond murderous, and her expression was more frightening than anything she could have pulled off in her Lord Psycho form. Jack was at a loss for words. Why was she so furious? Didn't she already know about all this?

She got fed up with him when he didn't answer right away, and let him drop to the ground before streaking off in the direction of the study in the East Wing, burning with rage.

Jack slowly got to his feet as he stared after her, worrying that something very bad was going to happen (or had already happened) and it was his fault. She hadn't manhandled him in quite a long time, and he wasn't sure that she was at all sorry for it. But now he had a hundred new questions in his mind, and not one of them was "who is he?"

"Oh, dear me, this is terrible," Edgar sighed form the doorway. Seeing the look on Jack's face, he added, "Don't fret, it's not your fault. She would have found out eventually. This will put her in a bad state for a _month_…"

"…uh…a-am I missing something?" the man in black asked, still a bit shaken.

"Nothing you won't find out about soon enough," the ghost replied before turning and hollering into the ballroom, "I'll be back as soon as I can. Lord Psycho is having some problems right now, so she might not be back for quite some time." At that, he gestured for Jack to close the door behind him, and he did so.

"If you insist on finding out what this is all about, follow me," Edgar said as he began to float off after his master. "But I must warn you, it will not be a pleasant scene."

--- to be continued in Chapter 29 : Doppelganger IV ---

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (With exception of Nyx, Jack, SMS, Edgar, Valikzat, and anyone else I forgot.) 

**A/N:** ...you all want to kill me now, don't you? -hides behind Jack- Don't throw things at me because they'll hit him and hurt his pretty face! (Jack: Did you just call me _pretty_? -rawr-) Don't worry, this will all resolve itself in the next chapter. Much unhappiness for Nyxie-poo, but a certain someone will make her feel a whooole lot better. (Jack: -hopes he gets to give Nyx a pity hug-)

**General Notes: **If anyone got confused with all the SMS and Black Dawn stuff, just ask me about it and I'll try to explain as best I can. Sorry it ended up being nothing but dialogue, and sorry again if that bored you or confused you. When these things actually show up in the action of the story, they'll seem more important and make more sense, I think. But until now, keep them in the back of your mind.

I know there are about 2 people on earth who will get this joke, but still... "MOTHER!" -laughs hysterically- (Advent Children reference.)

**Art Updates:** Yet _another _Jack picture (Jack: Why do you sound like you're tired of drawing me? Everyone - including you - loves looking me anyway. -runs away from Shannon as she tries to "claim him as my own, muahahahaha"-), but this time it's one that was _**intended **_to be sexy, and turned out that way too. -dances- I love it! The link is on my profile, and you will **_SERIOUSLY_** regret it if you don't go look at it. (Especially if you're a Jack fnagirl and haven't informed me yet. ;D)

**Preview:** Nyx loses it for the first time in this entire story, and the only witness is the one person she's afraid to be around. Featuring Broken!Nyx, So Freaking Stupid!Howard, Tells It Like It Is!Edgar, Confused And A Little Disturbed!Snape, and Why Is He So Damn Nice!Jack.

**Final Words: **The next chapter is near completion, but I think I'll wait until sometime in the middle of next week to post it. That'll give me time to work on chapter 30 so there's not a freaking huge wait like there has been lately. I think I'm going to really try to cut down the length of my chapters nowadays because the short chapters are taking as long to write as the huge ones used to, and I think most of the people I asked said they'd prefer shorter ones anyway. Hopefully this'll cut down on updating time soemwhat, too.

...but then again, if I get enough reviews I might turn into Jello and post 29 sooner than I planned to. I got more repsonse last chapter, so if I could get even just a _few_ more reviews for this one, I'm sure I could find it in my heart not to make you suffer at the cliffhanger as you're probably doing right now.

Just a thought.

* * *

**wolke7: **Wow! I am so honored to get a review from an Austrian! That's the first review I've ever recieved from someone who doesn't speak English as a first language. And don't worry - your English is just fine. Thank you so much for reviewing and complimenting my humble story! Your review made me so happy! But I'm curious... Is it easy for you to read my story, or is it difficult? I know my writing style is pretty complicated, and if English if your second language and you think it's easy to understand then I am VERY impressed! Danke wieder und mach's gut! (I hope my German isn't bad...) 

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**---** **k**avi - **s**ama **---**


	29. Chapter 29: Doppelganger IV

Chapter 29 : Doppelganger IV

The door to the study banged open, startling the small crowd gathered around the open stone coffin. A dark shape shot into the throng, knocking a few people over, coming to an abrupt stop next to the box in the middle. Nyx lifted the lid up off the floor and slammed it down on the coffin, hiding its occupant from view. She twitched her hand and the name carved into the stone vanished.

Without a moment's hesitation, she leapt over the box and knocked Commander Howard down with a precisely-aimed kick. Just as he hit the ground, she landed on top of him with her feet on his abdomen and her hands clenched around his throat. The onlookers all gasped and backed away from their enraged master in case she lashed out at them; some even ran out into the safety of the hall and didn't come back in, no matter how curious they were about what was going on. She may not have been in her usual 'Lord Psycho' form, but there was no doubt in their minds that it was her.

Howard stared up at her in a dazed and pained shock, oblivious to the damage he had caused. He and a team of his trusty Operation Baby Seal veterans had been sent on a new mission once their first was complete. They were supposed to find a similar place above the Arctic Circle, where another chamber would be found beneath the ice. In that chamber there was supposed to be a single stone coffin, almost identical to the ones Nyx recovered earlier. He had done exactly what she told him to do; what on earth was she so upset about?

"…_what have you **done**?"_ Her voice was unfathomable and low enough for just the man beneath her to hear.

"I-I-I don't k-know…" he replied in absolute terror. The others heard him and decided they didn't want to be in the room at that moment, so they scattered like baby spiders.

"_You've ruined **everything**,"_ she hissed. _"What the fuck were you **thinking**?"_

The man just stared up at her, wide-eyed and gasping for air like a fish out of water as her claw-like hands squeezed his neck even harder.

"_Who gave you permission to do this? Who told you to bring this back, and not wait for me to come get it like I instructed you to? Who allowed you to open that coffin and show it off like a prize cow?"_

"…n…n-no o-o-one…" he rasped as his face started turning purple.

"**_Then why the hell did you DO it?"_** she bellowed, tightening her grip until she heard a faint crack, and then relaxed her quivering hands (only quivering because she was so furious) so he could answer properly.

"…w…we h-heard…f-fr-from…another g-group th-that…you-you ga-gave them th-the…the we-week o-o-off…b-because the-they we-were quick…w-w-with their mi-mission…a-a-a-and w-we ho-hoped you'd d-do the sa-same f-for us…" the fool stammered. The excruciating pain of a cracked vertebrae forced tears out of his eyes, but Nyx only associated it with his being scared to death of her, and not without every reason to be.

She heard the door behind her creak open and Edgar's voice mutter, "I hope I'm not too late…"

Jack's voice asked him quietly, "What? Does he look dead?"

Before the butler could answer him, Nyx seized Howard by the throat again and, after getting off him, pulled him to his feet. "This man is to be taken to Death Row, where he will be dealt with later," she said loudly so that everyone in the hall could hear her, but without turning to face the door.

Edgar took the hint and pointed to two of the much-too-curious minions. "You two, go in there and do as Lord Psycho said." They obeyed him reluctantly, and reappeared moments later, toting the paralyzed-with-shock-and-fear Howard out of the room and down the nearby flight of stairs to the dungeons.

Jack watched the procession go by as a chill crept up his back like a tarantula made of icicles. _And to think that could have been me if I didn't know when to shut my mouth…_

"You all had better make yourselves scarce," the ghost warned the remaining stragglers. "I can _guarantee_ she hasn't vented all of her anger yet."

That certainly did the trick. The second-in-command almost started leaving, too, but Edgar stopped him instantly: "Don't you want to know why she lost her temper just now?"

He turned to face him slowly and nodded. He threw a glance to the half-open door, wondering if Nyx hearing them would be a problem…but Edgar took care of that, too.

He drifted into the study, asking, "Shall that imbecile serve as a warning to anyone who wants to disturb you today?"

"…yes…" came Nyx's quiet reply. Her voice had reverted to neutrality, but the ghost knew her rage was still bubbling madly on the inside. All he had to do was wait until it erupted, and then give her time to cool off before trying to communicate with her again. He may have been dead, but Nyx does rather extreme things when she's pissed off enough, and he didn't want to find out what it felt like to be paralyzed by a basilisk's gaze, or _worse_.

"I'll take my leave, then, if I can serve no other purpose," the butler said respectfully, bowing and beginning to back out of the room.

Nyx nodded stiffly, and Edgar took that as a "yes, I want you to leave," so he hurried out and told Jack to shut the door behind him. He wasn't a moment too soon, because a sudden crash came from the study, followed by the crack of wood breaking, and then the sound of a window being shattered.

"She'll be at _that_ for a while, or until there's nothing left in there to destroy," he said calmly. "Now, the reason she flew off the deep end like that was because the person in that casket was someone she was hoping to resurrect. According to her research, in order to resurrect someone, the person's original body needs to be completely intact and not decomposed by any means. She was going to figure out some way to repair his body since it is theoretically possible, but now she needn't waste her time, and this is the reason she's so very upset right now."

"I…I don't understand," Jack said uneasily. "Why shouldn't she bother fixing his body now?"

Edgar paused as a scream of fury and misery pierced through the closed door. "…because once that coffin was opened in this temperature, that body began to decompose. Even the worst damage can be repaired somehow, but it is impossible to reverse or halt decomposition once it's begun. Unless there's another way to resurrect someone, Nyx just lost her only chance of ever seeing him alive again."

"…was that why he was found in the arctic? Because it's too cold for decomposition to even start?" he asked slowly, seeming to feel every bit of Nyx's pain as she continued taking her anger out on the study.

"Yes," Edgar replied grimly. "That was why she wanted to do all this herself; she couldn't tell anyone what she was doing, even though it would have made sure that this would **_never_** have happened. The whole resurrection business is a very touchy subject with her, and I don't think she'd be happy to know that I told you all this –"

"I already knew about it," Jack cut him off. "Some of it, anyway. She promised to bring my sister back once she figured out how, but I didn't know about anything else." _And now that I **do** know, I'm starting to wonder how she's going to bring Anna back since she wasn't buried in a freezer…_

"Oh, is that so? I must say I'm rather surprised," the ghost remarked, raising his silvery eyebrows. "That seems uncharacteristically generous of her…but I'm sure she has a good reason for it."

"Who is it that she's so desperate to resurrect?" Jack asked, drawing the conversation away from Anna.

Edgar gave him a withering look and said, "I'm afraid I haven't got the authority to answer that. But I suppose I may as well tell you, since we're on the subject anyhow, that those other stone boxes she brought back from Antarctica were quite similar to the one in the study here."

Jack nodded, but his face was a mask of confusion. "If that's the case, then can you tell me why Nyx would want to resurrect someone she didn't like?"

The butler threw him a calculating look and supposed he was talking about Nyx's father. "…she has some unfinished business with that particular person, and resurrecting them is the only way to settle it."

"Ah. I see," he said right before Nyx shattered another window. His light blue eyes locked onto the door, giving it a sort of pitying look as he wished he could do something to help her, even a little. His hand went to the fang around his wrist to fidget with it as he sometimes did, and something struck him. _She said that this fang came from a monster that killed a very close friend of hers…a **male** friend, if I remember correctly…one that I reminded her of very much…_

…_I wonder…_

"Well, if that's all, I need to get back to business," Edgar said briskly as he began floating away. "I doubt I need to tell you not to go in there unless she asks you to."

"I have one last question, Edgar," the second-in-command said in a weak voice.

"And I may or may not be able to give you an answer," he replied, facing him again.

"…did she love him?"

Edgar stared at him, trying to make something out of the look in his eyes. "…That all depends on what kind of love you mean. There's the love between a parent and child, between friends, between siblings, between spouses… Which were _you_ referring to?"

"Any of them. _All_ of them."

"…yes. She loved him more dearly than anyone."

Jack turned away so that he could rest against the wall next to the study door. "…I see. Thank you."

The ghost gave him one last lingering look before floating back towards the ballroom. The young man still standing there was somewhat glad to be rid of him. Edgar didn't seem particularly sympathetic towards her, whereas Jack could envision exactly how she felt. All he had to do was imagine Nyx's body in that coffin and put himself in her current position; that thought was almost more than he could bear, and he certainly couldn't blame her for shooting the messenger when he told her what happened.

Jack edged closer to the door, listening carefully. Nyx seemed to have stopped trashing the place and screaming now and then, but she was almost too quiet now. It was only when he put his ear right up to the crack that he heard a sound that made him wish he was deaf. Ignoring his mind and obeying his heart, Jack eased the door open just enough to look in and feel like someone ripped his heart out and stamped it into the dirt.

Nyx was draped across the stone coffin, broken and defeated, amidst a sea of chaos and ruin. It seemed as though a tornado had passed through the room since the last time the door had been opened. The two desks in the room were smashed to bits, as were the chairs, and the tables, and the things on the shelves, and anything else in the room that could conceivably be smashed. Books were torn to shreds and their pages littered the room like dead moths, as did the glittering shards of glass thrown into the mix. The freezing Himalayan air had rushed in through the broken windows and choked out any remaining heat in the room, leaving a dead, cold calm after the storm.

Nyx's tired body shuddered as she sobbed weakly into her arms. She would have been wailing in despair, but she had lost all conviction, all passion, and all purpose. What did it matter anyway? Kalixius was never coming back now. There was nothing she could do. Sure, there were other theoretical ways to bring someone back to life. But not **_one_** of them was as glaringly possible as this; the one that had just slipped out of her grasp, pulled away on an invisible string by the stupidest man on the planet.

If she had never wanted one before in her life, now was the time for Nyx to want a hug. The person doing the hugging would be very important, of course; any random schmoe off the street would only make her feel worse. Kalixius was most preferable, but obviously not an option. The next best thing was standing right outside the door, though.

_No! What am I **thinking**? I'm **Nyx** – cold, cruel, heartless, uncaring, emotionally distant, unfriendly, bitchy, anit-touchy-feely, pessimistic and cynical! I don't want hugs! I don't **need** hugs! Matter of fact, I don't need anyone, **or** their help! And most importantly, **I do NOT need a pity party!** I can get over this just fine on my own! That's how it's always been…always…_

But she could only lie to herself for so long. "Always" only meant "before I met Kalixius," and "after I met Kalixius" meant "when someone actually gave a shit about me." Her mother was the only one who cared about her before then, and since she died when Nyx was only 8, there was a span of a few years in which Nyx went through what everyone thought was a 'rebellious stage;' misbehaving only because that was the only way to get anyone 's attention. She didn't need to remind herself about how her father didn't care, and her stepmother was too busy with her own children to give her the time of day. Anyone else she could have turned to didn't like her much because they assumed it was "like father like daughter," so they wanted nothing to do with her. Slughorn only cared because she was the prize gem of his "collection," and Snape only had so much capacity to care before he decided he had better things to do. Even…'_he'_…wasn't any warmer than she was, and, like Snape, could only take it so far.

But not Kalixius. Even at 12, his perceptive skills were sharp enough to see Nyx for what she really was, and he rather liked what he saw. By the time the rumors about her reached his ears, he knew her well enough to know that they were wrong. And when things got out of hand and Nyx couldn't take it anymore, he was the one who was there to control her, and not by force. All he needed to do was wrap his arms around her and tell her everything would be all right, and she would believe it. He always encouraged her to "let it all out" by just crying for a while, and he always told her that his shoulder was available for such purposes, but whenever she wanted to take him up on the offer, she found that her tears had all dried up. He had that sort of effect on her that no one else did, and no one else could.

No. Unless it was Kalixius, she would be better off doing without. She knew that Jack was the near-total equivalent to him, but a simple hug that she didn't even want was _not_ worth it. After that incident 2 months ago, she wasn't sure she could trust herself to remember who she was dealing with. Even if she did, what if Jack took it the wrong way? She still wasn't sure how he felt about her, or how he thought she felt about him, and this could make things a great deal worse either way. Besides, if the idea of touching her repulsed him, that was being incredibly unfair of her.

…though, she wasn't exactly known for being fair and unselfish, so it shouldn't surprise him. But he was her favorite minion, and she always felt just a _little_ guilty if she gave him a really crappy job that he obviously didn't want to do. But he always did them anyway, because he was so ridiculously obedient, so it's not like he would refuse an order.

…_why the hell am I wasting so much time on this? It doesn't matter! I don't need a damned hug and that's final! I just…I just want to be left alone…_

Still, Nyx could only lie to herself for so long. No matter how much she thought she didn't want that hug, she still needed it, whether she wanted to admit it or not.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Jack could barely stand to watch any longer; every quiet sob he heard tore through him like a chainsaw. If only he could do something to help her, _anything_… The longer he stood there, the more a single conviction grew in his mind. All he wanted to do was to go in there, put his arms around her, and convince her that everything was going to be all right. That may have been a lie, for all he knew, but watching her cry like that was unbearable for him.

…but, then again, after how she acted towards him only minutes ago, he couldn't quite let himself run in there without thinking of it as a possible suicide.

…but when he glanced back at Nyx, who looked so helpless and in need of comforting, he knew that he was the only one who could hope to help her right now.

…but it was still suicide.

…but she still needed a hug.

…but it was too dangerous.

…but he loved her too much.

…but he still had a lot of things to do before he died.

…but dying by her hand would be better than any other way to go, so he didn't mind.

…but it wasn't like he _wanted_ to die by anyone's hand in the first place, so he was better off playing it safe.

…but this rare chance to get closer to Nyx was well worth the risk.

…no. He wouldn't do it.

…yes. He would.

…no.

…yes.

No.

Yes.

No!

Yes!

NO!

YES!

…_ah, screw it._

Jack pushed the door open slowly, and poked half of his body into the room. Nyx didn't seem to have noticed him, so he cleared his throat quietly and asked, "Nyx?"

"…what?" came the faint response. He couldn't tell if she was annoyed or happy to see him.

"May I come in or are you going to tear me apart?"

"…if you must," she replied weakly. She didn't move a hair, though; this latest crushing blow had sapped her bodily strength almost completely, leaving her numb and lethargic. Nyx was glad her head was turned towards the shattered window opposite the door, so that Jack couldn't see her crying. She hated few things more than crying in front of other people; it made her feel weak and defenseless, and it made a lot of her plentiful self-loathing surface. Jack, though, seemed trustworthy and non-judgmental enough to see her in her most vulnerable state.

Jack was relieved to hear that she would allow him in (even if it seemed a bit grudgingly), but, like being in her bedroom, he wouldn't take it for granted. He entered the room and approached her cautiously. Knowing her as well as he did, he knew that it was better to be paranoid than to overstep his bounds.

"…well, what?" Nyx asked in a colorless, slightly quivering voice.

"I just came in to see how you were doing," he answered, honestly enough.

"…I'm fine," she replied. "…if that's all, please leave me alone…"

Jack took a deep breath and said gently, "I seriously doubt that's true."

She didn't answer. She didn't want to. If he was going to start this shit again, she was fully prepared to boot him out promptly.

He watched her carefully, and when she didn't do anything, he stepped even closer to her and knelt down on one knee right next to her. "Edgar explained most of what this is all about. I can only imagine how you're feeling right now, but –"

"I don't need your pity," Nyx snapped in a deadly voice, still without looking at him.

Jack had been expecting that. "…yes, you do. Whether you want to admit it or not."

She finally turned her head to give him a death glare through a black veil of hair. "…you have no idea what you're talking about."

Her minion sighed a little. He'd been expecting that one, too. "I know how pissy you get when I argue with you, so I'll just prove it."

And for once since Anna died, Jack did something that completely belied his quiet, submissive nature and shocked Nyx into speechlessness. In one fluid motion, he reached one arm around her middle and rested his hand on her back, forcing her to face him fully, and wrapped the other around her and placed his hand on her opposte shoulder. She slumped forward out of surprise and lack of strength to hold herself up, just as Jack moved to pull her in closer. Nyx's head ended up resting on his shoulder as her limp arms dangled at her sides, above the arms embracing her.

For the first time in a long time, Nyx was too stunned to say anything. But that may have been for the best, because she wasn't sure what was going to come out of her mouth first once she got her voice back.

"I'm doing this for your own good, so don't complain," Jack murmured coolly into her hair. He thought he deserved an award for keeping his nerves so steady; just 2 months before, he had almost been too nervous to hug her in her sleep while pretending to be asleep himself. And now, here he was invading her space and having the audacity to tell her not to whine about it. If Nyx didn't kill him first, his love for her certainly would.

"Everything will turn out all right in the end; after all, you're not the type of person to let it turn out otherwise."

Hearing that, all that went through Nyx's mind was her memories of Kalixius, how he did the same thing to her the first time she cried in his arms, and the overwhelming truth that she would never see him again. And, being who she was, Nyx did the only thing she could do at the time:

She cracked. Again.

Jack was possibly even more stunned than she was when he realized that she had started weeping again, but what really surprised him was the fact that she had her face buried in his shoulder as she clung to him for dear life. A smile slowly formed on his lips as he pulled her as close as she could be, and began stroking her long hair idly. Out of all the times that he had been useful to her, he was certain that every one of them paled in comparison to right now.

And for once, Nyx didn't feel ashamed of herself to be sobbing like a ninny in front of someone, much less onto his clothes. If anything, she almost _wanted_ him to see her like this, though she couldn't explain why. If he had known exactly how she felt about the "crying in front of other people" thing, it surely would have made him realize how wrong he was about her not trusting him.

As they sat there amidst the ruins, in the freezing silence, a peculiar thought crossed Jack's mind. Almost all of her followers agreed that she ruled them with an iron fist, but it had suddenly dawned on him that it wasn't really the fist that was made of iron. It was the glove that encased the fist made of fragile glass, which could be shattered in an instant by anything that penetrated the iron glove. Realizing this was a strange feeling for him, especially because he knew he was the only one of her minions who'd ever seen her in such a vulnerable state.

Everyone always assumed that she was that hollow, iron fist, with no heart, no feelings, no sensitivity, and no weakness. That was so glaringly false to him now that he couldn't understand why he'd ever believed it in the first place. But in another sense, it made him somewhat happy to know that she wasn't as invulnerable and unemotional as she seemed. Up till then, he regretted not being able to protect her or heal her wounds from anything because there was nothing that could hurt her.

But now that he was witnessing firsthand what it was like for Nyx to take damage, he saw how badly she needed someone to defend her from whatever could hurt her, or at least to help her heal once the pain had been inflicted. Jack almost wished that something like this would happen again so that he could play 'knight in shining armor' for her, because it certainly made him feel good.

What seemed like an hour later, Nyx finally ran out of tears (though that didn't do Jack's cloak any good because it was already soaked through and through). He was sincerely happy that she had calmed down because he knew that it was only because of him that it happened.

"…I'm sorry," she said quietly once she could speak without hiccoughing in the middle of her sentence.

"There's nothing to apologize for," Jack replied simply.

She couldn't help but smile weakly. "I knew you'd say that…"

He wanted more than anything to ask what she meant by that, but chose not to be selfish. "Do you feel better now that you've let all that out?"

"Yeah…but it's weird…usually when people try to cheer me up, I just get more depressed…"

Jack couldn't hold in the laugh that escaped him. "…I apologize. That was extremely rude of me. But, that's just such a 'you' thing to say, I couldn't help it."

Nyx smiled a little again. "I know what you mean…" She fell silent for a few seconds before adding softly, "…thank you…for putting up with me."

"No thanks are required," he replied. "If I minded, I wouldn't have come in here in the first place."

"Well, _this_ wasn't exactly in the job description," Nyx said.

"Like I said, I don't mind. I'm just glad you feel better right now."

"Knew you'd say that, too…" She paused to let him ponder that. "…I'm also sorry for what I did before…when I lost my temper…"

"Don't worry about it," Jack said. "If I were in your position, I would have done the same thing. Besides, I don't bruise _that_ easily. I'm not a banana or something…"

"…what?" Nyx asked, turning her head to give him a curious and concerned look. Evidently, all this emotional trauma was having a bad effect on her memory because he already told her that Edgar explained part of what happened.

He forgot that she forgot, though, so he answered carefully anyway. "Edgar explained some things to me because I couldn't understand why you were so angry. But he only gave me the gist of it, and no details. No _names_, either. He said you'd probably kill him if you found out he told me all this, but I knew half of it anyway. All the resurrection stuff, I mean."

"…so, what exactly were you told the situation is?"

"The person in this coffin was someone you wanted to bring back to life more than anything, but because of Howard, you can't. Trust me, I can imagine exactly how you feel right now."

"Really?" she asked venomously.

"Uh-huh," Jack replied, nodding. "All I have to do is imagine that Anna's in that coffin. " _Or you, but I can keep that one to myself._

"…it's a little different than that," she said in a more personable voice. "The person in there wasn't my twin brother."

"…was he the close friend that was killed by the monster?"

Nyx twitched a little. "…yes, he was…"

"I'm sorry-"

"Dammit, what did I tell you about pitying us?"

"I wasn't saying it out of pity. I was saying it because I know what it's like to lose someone you care so much about, and I was sorry that you had to go through the same thing as I did. No one deserves to feel like that, especially you. You have enough problems as it is."

If only he knew how right he was.

Nyx smiled sadly and asked, resting her head on his shoulder again, "Why are you so nice to me?"

Jack turned rather pink and was incredibly glad she wasn't looking at him. "W-why shouldn't I be?"

"Because I don't deserve it."

"…what do you mean?"

"…let me put it this way; there are other people who are far more deserving of kindness than I am. Meaning, being nice to me is kind of a waste of your time because you would be better off being nice to someone else."

"Forgive my insolence, but that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say in my life."

Nyx was so shocked that he said that, she moved back to look him in the face and ask, "Why?"

"I honestly can't believe you need to ask," Jack murmured, returning her bewildered look. "I can't imagine why you think you don't deserve kindness…Well, if I shouldn't be nice to you, then should I be a complete ass?"

"No, but-"

"Good, because I know you wouldn't put up with it for a second anyway. …I'm sorry, but I just can't get over this. What in the hell made you think that being nice to you was a waste of people's time?"

"E-er…well…It's a little difficult to explain…" Great. Of all the times she could do it, now was _not_ the time Nyx wanted to explain SMS to him.

"It's not like you're some inhuman monster with no feelings or heart or anything," he muttered, looking back in the direction of the shattered window.

Nyx grimaced unconsciously when he said that. _Yes I am… _"…how do you know that I'm not an inhuman monster inside?"

It was now Jack's turn to be startled. Who could ask that kind of a question about themselves? The answer came to his mind immediately, though, and he replied as gently as he could, "If you were a heartless, inhuman monster, you wouldn't have lost your temper, trashed this room, or cried your eyes out just now."

She felt a twinge of warmth in the dark chasm left by her heart, and smiled the first genuine smile she had in years. Nyx sighed and leaned on him again. "As I said, you're still too nice to me. But I suppose it's just part of your nature, so I can't hold it against you."

"I'm so relieved," Jack replied, smirking.

"That reminds me," Nyx added, changing the subject. "Now that I've calmed down, there's an idiot on Death Row that needs to be dealt with before the day ends."

She brought her arms back to her sides, and Jack did the same as soon as she did; he didn't want her to get annoyed with him _now_. They both rose to their feet and backed off a little from each other, though neither really wanted to. Nyx looked around the room as if she was seeing it for the first time.

"Funny how you never realize how much damage you've done until it's too late. Oh well." And with a wave of her hand, the entire room zipped back into order. The books, tables, chairs, windows, and everything else repaired itself and moved back into their designated spot, as if nothing at all had happened.

"So, if you don't mind my asking," Jack said as he followed her out the room. "Why were you waiting until you calmed down to kill Howard?"

Nyx laughed a little. "The answer probably won't surprise you since you know me so well. If I'm still really fired up about something, I'll probably just Avada Kedavra the guy and it'll be over in a matter of seconds. That doesn't do me any good because he didn't suffer for what he did and I still need to take my anger out on something. That's why I wait until I've gotten over the worst part of it to go do the punishment. That way, I can take my good sweet time torturing the life out of him to make him pay for what he did to piss me off so much. It's far more satisfying."

"…yeah. I can't say that's a shock, coming from you," Jack replied, looking surprisingly relaxed for how disturbing her statement really was.

Nyx lingered by the door a moment, before giving him a sly look and throwing in, "If I were you, I'd use the same method on the guy that killed your sister, if you can. It's much crueler."

Her second-in-command couldn't help but grin. "I will do my utmost to keep that in mind. Would you happen to have an example of a way I could really make him pay for it – oh, such as what you're going to do to Howard?"

She froze and gave him a weird, nervous smile as she replied, "Well, to be honest, considering who you are, I know you aren't capable of doing what I have in mind for him. I know you can be astonishingly nasty when you want to be, but you don't have a strong enough stomach for this. Few people on earth **_wouldn't_** gag over it, as a matter of fact."

Jack's eyebrows rose instinctively. "Really? It must be the worst punishment in the world if it's that bad."

Nyx laughed quietly. "Well…_second_-worst, at any rate. I'm saving the nastiest one for the person who deserves it the most."

"You mean the person in the coffin you let me carry?" As soon as the words left his lips, Jack clapped a hand over his mouth in embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean for that to come out! You don't have to answer if you don't want to!"

"Yes. Once I resurrect that man, I'm going to put him to death in the most horrible way I know. I suppose Edgar wouldn't have told you what he did to deserve it, right?"

"…n-no…I didn't even know it was a guy…"

Nyx turned to give him a wide grin and chirped, "Well, then, I suppose there's no use in telling you now."

"…er…right," Jack replied uneasily. Her reaction to that question seemed…_off._ He didn't even need to think about it to know she was hiding something, since he was so used to the feeling. At least she didn't get mad at him for asking it in the first place – she _answered_ it, of all things!

"Well, thank you once again for putting up with me, and I'd like to add that under no circumstances are you to tell a single soul – living or dead – what transpired in that room," she said, pointing to the study door for emphasis.

"Right," he said, smiling and nodding. "I'm just glad I could be useful."

"You're far more useful than you know, so don't worry about it," Nyx replied, giving him a sort of bittersweet look. The look disappeared in a moment and was covered up by a cheerfully sinister mask as she added, "Well, I'm off to slowly and delightfully torture someone to death. You can have the rest of day off if you don't have anything else to do. I'd give you the week, but you're the only person I trust to do anything more important than shining my shoes at the moment, and I might need something done in the next few days."

"Thanks," he said, smiling at her as they began going their separate ways. "Don't have too much fun, though."

"Ha! You can _never_ have too much fun!" she called over her shoulder as she began towards the ballroom again.

As soon as she was out of hearing range, Jack jumped up and cheered. Even though Nyx was having such an awful day and he should have felt as bad as she did, he couldn't help but feel light as a feather and happy as a clam. The rift between the two of them had closed up considerably, though they were still distanced by her plentiful secrets and lies. At the moment, he completely forgot about them and could only feel overjoyed about what had occurred.

He felt rather disgusted at himself for how long it took him to have the nerve to at least hint at how he felt. The incident 2 months ago didn't count in his mind because he had been pissing his pants in terror and very nearly backed out of the whole thing twice. This time, no extensive pre-planning was done, and none was needed. He never felt a hint of fear at the consequences of his actions, and he didn't hesitate when the time came to act. And when his risks turned into such a marvelous reward, he remembered why he used to be the way he did, almost seven years ago.

His own thoughts seemed to constantly confuse him. With Anna's death came the end of his being "Jack Corbeau" and the beginning of being "Evil Minion," his self-conscious, timid, nervous alter-ego. Once he had switched to this new persona, he forgot what it was like to be "Jack," and now that he was back to that he forgot what it was like to be "Evil Minion." It was like being sick and healthy; when you're sick you forget what it's like to be healthy, and when you're healthy you forget what it's like to be sick. You simply knew that you would rather be one than the other.

Jack started wondering why he went back to his true self, and the only answer he could come up with was "Nyx." She was the one who helped him create "Evil Minion," yet she was also the one who insisted that she call him by his real name when it was just the two of them. She was the one who made him become shy and quiet, and hiding from the world every day, yet she was also the one who made him change when he fell in love with her. After all, if he had really lost all of his nerve he never could have been in the same room as her for more than a minute.

But as he realized what he needed to do in order to try to win some semblance of affection from her, he unknowingly started changing back into his real self. He wasn't as afraid to be a little more outgoing around Nyx, and he wasn't quite as anal about always covering his face up. Even now as he walked down the hallway, his headwrap was in his bedroom and his hood was pulled back, and he really didn't care.

His success with Nyx did a great deal of good for his self-confidence, too. Though he wouldn't admit it, he envied his sister because she had such an easy time getting dates; all she had to do was sit there and look cute, and the boys would flock to her like moths to a flame. That was fine, though, because the boys were supposed to go to the girls. That made things rather unhappy for Jack, however, since he was certain that the first time he tried to ask a girl out, he'd screw it up and get rejected.

He never tried, of course, in case the girl actually accepted and he had to tell her, "…uh. Just kidding!"

What worried him was if when he met a girl he actually liked, he would do something stupid and ruin any slim chance he had with her. That still bothered him with Nyx, but he understood the way she worked, and he was pretty sure that if he did something really dumb she'd just think it was hilarious. And since he knew for a fact that she appreciated a good laugh now and then, he doubted that she would think he was an idiot for it. In fact, she'd probably think he planned it in order to amuse her, and that would be even better for him.

Something startled Jack as he wandered in the direction of his room, and it took him a moment to realize it was just Anna sneaking up behind him and wrapping her arms around his neck, grinning proudly.

"_Welcome back, my dear twin."_

------------------------------------------------------------------

The ballroom door swung open and Nyx stepped in, seeming to be in a far better mood than she should have been, as far as Edgar and Snape were concerned. The two of them walked away from the old black book and peered up the stairs at her, very surprised to see her smiling.

"Er…Are we missing something, my lord?" the silvery ghost asked tentatively.

"Not really," Nyx replied rather cheerily. "I'm afraid we're going to have to finish this meeting some other time, though. Change of plans."

"M-may I ask why?" the butler asked again, somewhat unnerved by Nyx's positive attitude.

"Severus has learned enough of _that_ for one day, and I've come up with the perfect opportunity for him to learn something else that's new and useful."

"And what might that be?" Snape asked, curious as ever.

The twisted grin reappeared on Nyx's pale lips as she replied in a sinisterly giddy tone, "'Torture By Cannibalism 101.'"

--- to be continued in Chapter 30 : (title to be decided) ---

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (With exception of Nyx, Jack, Kalixius, SMS, Edgar, Howard, and anyone else I forgot.) 

**A/N:** Hehe, aren't you glad I didn't make you suffer for a week or something before I posted this? I thought about it, but I can't be mean to you guys like that. You're patient enough when there's nothing I can do about a delay, so creating one just to be mischevious would be way too mean. -angel wings and halo pop up out of nowhere-

Kudos to my lovely beta, Tiff. (Sorry I didn't give you any credit before, but you know how scatterbrained I am...)

**General Notes: **The underlings that were all crowded aound Kalixius' coffin are fully aware of his name, date of birth, and date of death, but they don't realize that any of it is at all significant. After seeing what a bad mood Nyx was in and finding out why, not a single one of them is going to blab about Kalixius' identity. (Which made Jack kinda sad because he thought he found a loophole.)

If you need a refresher on Howard and/or Operation Baby Seal, please refer to Chapter 19 because Kavi is too much of a lazy ass to retype all that.

I really went nuts with the symbolic descriptions in this chapter, didn't I? If you think it was unneccesary and annoying, let me put it to you this way; if it didn't matter, I wouldn't have put it in there. (Note that, in Chapter 27, I made a point of Nyx telling that other guy he had the week off, because that was what caused this whole mess. To some, that might have seemed expendable, but now you know better. :D) Anyway, I hope the descriptions helped you to "understand" Nyx a bit more. Why? Because throughout the story, those who can predict Nyx better than others can and will get the satisfaction of guessing what'll happen next without any help. And if that was me, it would make me feel really good.

Also please note that not only does Nyx lie to the whole world, but she lies to herself as well. I'm reiterating this because it's going to be very important in the future. (Not that I expect you to remember it 15 chapters down the road, but maybe it'll make you think of it quicker when the time comes.)

I know, the "nobody loved me as a chid" thing is kinda cheesy, cliche and Mary-Sue-ish, but if everyone loved litte Nyxie, that wouldn't have made Kalixius very special, now would it? That's all I have to say about that...

Since almost every reader I've gotten feedback from has supported the Jack/Nyx pairing, I'll bet you were just giddy when they hugged. And I'll bet you're ready to have a go at me with a club because they didn't kiss. (Jack: "Uh...Isn't that rushing things just a _little_ bit?" J/N Shippers (and Anna): "Of _COURSE_ not, silly!" Nyx: "...what are we talking about? -so confused-") All in good time, dear readers, all in good time. And maybe in a shorter time than he thought, now that Jack has a backbone again. (Jack: "Hey!")

For those in the audience with weak stomachs, don't worry because I won't be describing Howard's death-by-being-eaten-alive-by-Nyx at all. I decided it might be best to leave that up to your own imagination, especially since I don't think I'd be able to write more than 5 words without feeling ill. Knowing how descriptive I like to be, that should make it pretty obvious. -is one of those people with a weak stomach- For those who were looking forward to that...sorry, but...eh.

**Preview:** The Weasleys are still somewhat in shock from Nyx's mentally scarring visit a week before, and things only get worse when an unlikely trio shows up at thier door - Sakura, her father, and Maxu...? Are they there on Nyx's orders, or thier own? Are the Weasleys their friends or foes? Is Sakura's father _ever_ going to start behaving his age? Is Louis still in the story? Find out in next week's episode of...THIS FANFIC! -dramatic fanfare- -fade to black- _Fin._

**Final Words:** _**HUGE**_ thanks to all who have started reviewing again recently! The increased feedback has been _**really**_ helpful! (for my motivation, anyway) And also a tip of the hat to the regulars for keeping it up for so long! To everybody who's thought about reviewing but hasn't for one reason or another, there's a little purple button down there you can click to get yourself started. I don't care if you give me a deep and profound literary analysis, a detailed and painstaking critique, or just a "hey I like your story." Seeing that I got another review makes me feel like it's Christmas - I don't know what's in the present, but a present is a present and I'm glad I got it whatever it might be. So don't be shy - writing a simple review can't hurt anything. :D

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**---** **k**avi - **s**ama **---**


	30. Chapter 30: Consequences

Chapter 30 : Consequences

"Fred! George! Get back here this _instant_!"

"What's all the fuss, mum?"

"Yeah, we thought we were done with our slave labor for the night."

"I've told you for the _last_ time; I want that table set **_before _**they get here!"

The twins groaned and scooted back into the kitchen as their mother threatened them with a broom and her wand. Mrs. Weasley tugged at the bun holding her flaming hair out of her face, trying to calm herself with some deep breathing exercises. She wandered into the living room, where her youngest children and their two friends were seated by the window.

"Any sign of them?" she asked.

"Nope," Ron replied. "Mum, with all due respect, why do you need to keep inviting people over for dinner?"

"Yeah, it wasn't much of a success last time," Ginny added pointedly.

Everyone in the room shuddered at the memory of that night only a week before. Needless to say, Nyx wasn't going to be invited over again for a _very_ long time, and she most certainly was not going to be asked to live with them over the summer. When Mrs. Weasley mentioned that they were going to have more dinner guests on Easter, no one said anything, but they all had the same thoughts.

"Oh, stop it, all of you," she scolded them. "I know this girl personally, and I know she's perfectly safe. We are _not_ going to have a repeat of last week."

"Well, can you really blame anyone?" Bill asked from his seat next to Fleur. "I mean, after that whole disaster…"

"That was no one's fault, and we all know it," Mr. Weasley spoke up from his favorite spot on the couch. "I've met the girl myself, too, and your mother is absolutely right. Hypothetically speaking, if she had any kind of problem such as SMS, she would tell us _immediately_, and she would have enough sense not to put us in danger, even if that meant staying at home and refusing our invitation. No one knew about Ariana, however, so there was nothing to be done about it."

"We know, dad, but we still can't help but feel nervous about it," Ron said. "_We've_ never met this person, right?"

"As a matter of fact, you may have without knowing it," Mrs. Weasley replied with a sly look. "She was only a year ahead of you three at Hogwarts."

"Really?" Hermione piped up. "Then we should be going to school with her right now."

"Actually, no," Mr. Weasley said. "She stopped attending school the summer You-Know-Who came back, because her mother was killed by Death Eaters."

The two Gryffindor girls put their hands to their mouths and said sadly, "Oh, that's awful."

A sudden knock at the front door made everyone jump, but Mrs. Weasley said cheerfully nonetheless, "That must be her right now! I'll go let her in."

As his wife bustled off, Mr. Weasley added in a somewhat hushed voice to the others, "Don't bring up her mother unless she does first, all right? It hasn't been _that_ long since she passed on, and her daughter is a bit sensitive about the whole thing…"

They all nodded as a peppy voice floated in from the front of the house.

"Hiya, Molly! I mean, Mrs. Weasley!"

"Oh, that's quite all right. You can call me Molly if you want to."

"Okay!"

"Well, don't just stand there, come in, everyone!"

The sound of one person bouncing, one person walking, and one person trudging into the house reached those in the living room, and the uneasy feeling returned to them. Little did they know that the person about to skid around the corner was as unlike Nyx as day was unlike night.

"Hi, everybody!" she said with a cheery grin, waving to the whole room enthusiastically. "Nice to be back! And to everybody I don't know, my name's Shinonkou Hakubo, but you can call me Shin if you want, and I hope I don't annoy you too much!"

The black-haired, brown-eyed Japanese girl was decked out in the most unbelievably baby-blue-and-rosy-pink ensemble anyone had ever seen. It wasn't that she looked bad in it; actually, it made her look rather like a Barbie doll, but in a good way (if that's possible). Her favorite pink-and-white sneakers peeked out from beneath her light blue jeans, offset with a shiny pink belt hugging her rather small hips. Her layered rosy and sky-colored shirts and sweater matched her striped headband tucked behind her ears, pierced with – you guessed it – pink and blue dangly, sparkly earrings. And of course, her make up and dainty little purse matched as well.

"…bloody hell…" Ron muttered, staring at the strange girl, wide-eyed.

Hermione nudged him rather roughly and said with a smile, "Hello. I'm Hermione Granger. It's nice to meet you."

Shin hopped over to her and shook her hand, grinning all the while. When everyone else remained too stunned to speak, she made her way around the room, introducing herself personally and generally making a good impression on people (if that was possible).

Mrs. Weasley's voice drifted in from the hall again. "And you must be Shin's father, right?"

"Uh…yes, I am. Matsu Hakubo."

"Well it's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Hakubo. Your wife talked about you all the time."

"_What?_ How did you know Kaiyou?"

Mrs. Weasley's voice faltered a bit. "…er, y-you didn't know?"

"Of course not!" Matsu nearly shouted. How dare this impudent woman speak of his late wife with such familiarity!

"W-well, then perhaps Shin can fill you in properly," she replied, directing him into the family room.

The onlookers were shocked yet again because they had been expecting someone as outrageous as Shin, and got a rather plain-looking man instead. Dressed in slightly wrinkled khaki slacks, an old white button-down shirt with no tie, and a lightweight gray jacket, he looked the total opposite of his brightly colored daughter. His peppered hair was still slowly receding, and he was still rather thin, but his beer belly hadn't gone anywhere.

Matsu stood there, gaping at the small crowd in the living room. The only thing going through his one-track mind was if these people were like his daughter, and if they were unfriendly towards normal people like himself. It was probably good that Remus wasn't there that night because a magical werewolf would _not _go over well with Matsu at all.

Before he was able to say anything, Shin ran over, grabbed him by the wrist and announced, "Everyone, this is my dad, but you can call him Matsu. He's not really friendly but he's harmless so don't let him scare you."

Matsu glared at her for saying that to a group of perfect strangers, especially because it was such an absurd thing to say; what could he hope to do to 'scare' _them_? They had wands and other unpleasant, weird things, and he was nothing but a lowly human.

A sudden yelp of pain from the hall gave Matsu a few more moments to come up with an emergency escape plan in case they ganged up on him. Shin let go of him and ran over to the third guest, who was currently sprawled out on the floor in the hall.

"Maxu, what happened?"

"…I _tripped_, you simpleton…"

"Oh, right. Did you break anything? Have any internal bleeding? Bite your tongue?"

"Um. No. But I landed on my face and it hurts real bad."

"Then don't whine. You'll live."

At that, Shin turned on her heel and waltzed back over to her father in order to point out who everyone else was. Maxu looked after her from his place on the floor with eyes wide from surprise. _She's **still** mad at me?_

Two days before, on Friday, the American finally joined Shin and her father in Kyoto, the city they were touring. The first 3-and-a-half days were spent in Tokyo, the city Matsu knew best since he was born and raised there, but the last half of the week was to be spent in Kyoto, Kaiyou's hometown and the location of her grave. They paid their respects to her spirit before Maxu arrived since he couldn't hope to comprehend their Japanese customs – Matsu had seen firsthand how insensitive the boy could be and didn't want to give him the opportunity to offend them.

The reason Maxu waited until the third-last day of the trip to join them was, supposedly, because he didn't want to butt in on their father-daughter quality time. In truth, he just didn't want to be stuck with Shin for too long without Lord Psycho around to control her. But he knew he'd never hear the end of it unless he went for a little while, so he met them in Kyoto that Friday and planned to go home with them on Sunday night. The traveling was no issue for him because he had been back in Los Angeles since the day they left for Japan, so he didn't have to ask his master's permission to leave since he was already gone.

But while they were sightseeing in Kyoto, as Shin was hanging all over him as usual, she stepped way out of line when Matsu asked if they were dating or something. She had the nerve to say "yes" when she should have said "no," and that pissed Maxu off incredibly. His immediate cry of "no we're not!" crushed Shin's little heart, and she had been miserable to him since.

Maxu got to his feet and wandered after her, massaging his sore cheek and cursing the person that left their shoes right where he was going to walk. He didn't want to come here in the first place, and things were already going poorly. But there wasn't much he could do since Shin only explained things to him as they were approaching the Weasley's front door.

He stepped into the living room just in time to hear two identical male voices cry out in glee, "LITTLE BUDDY!" Maxu jumped out of the way just in time for Fred and George to run in from the kitchen and tackle-hug Shin to the ground (much to the astonishment and annoyance of her father).

Everyone wondered if the twins had ever heard of the word "assault," but when they realized that Shin was laughing too, they assumed there was a perfectly logical explanation for it. That explanation was given once the three of them regained their composure.

"When we were in our second year," one of the twins began. "We happened across an ickle firstie Hufflepuff one fine day, and discovered that she had lost her way."

"Being the kind and caring souls we were, we helped direct her to her destination."

"Meaning: they sent me to the Astronomy Tower when I needed to go to Potions," Shin said dryly. Maxu, Ron and Harry snorted.

"The poor girl spent the rest of the year trying to get back at us," George said, chuckling.

"But she never succeeded. We gave her a load of credit for trying so hard, though," Fred added, grinning at her.

"Of course I tried hard! It's _your_ fault that Snape hated me from day one! Every time I came into class after that first day, he would always say something like, '_thank_ you for gracing us with your presence this morning, Miss Hakubo.' God, it was so _annoying_!"

Bill turned to look questioningly at the broom closet only a few feet from where he was seated. Was it his imagination or did he just hear something?

"Anyway," one of the twins continued. "We got so used to her hanging around us all the time –"

"- and she got so used to following us wherever we went –"

"- we eventually became good mates –"

"- and the rest is history," the other twin finished dramatically.

"Yeah, now that you mention it, you do look a bit familiar," Ron said to Shin.

"It's probably because they're here," she laughed, pointing to the twins.

Everyone's attention was drawn elsewhere when Mrs. Weasley asked the only unnamed guest, dressed in a Rolling Stones jacket and plain jeans, "Who did you say you were?"

"Uh, just call me Maxu," he replied uncomfortably.

"Oh, all right then, Max," she said. Apparently she hadn't heard the "u." Maxu didn't care, though. It might have been better that they knew him by the wrong name. At least Shin didn't feel like taking it upon herself to correct her.

Addressing all three visitors, Mrs. Weasley added, "Dinner won't be ready for about another 10 minutes, so make yourselves comfortable."

"Oh, you don't need to feed us! We'll be in and out pretty quickly," Shin protested humbly.

"Nonsense! Food tastes better when you share it," she replied with a smile before bustling back into the kitchen.

The Japanese girl shrugged and led the two men with her into the room and flopped down on the sofa. Maxu and Matsu followed suit as everyone watched them, wondering if their harmless appearance was an act or the truth.

"So, should I give my report now or wait until later?" Shin asked Mr. Weasley, whom she was seated next to.

"Report…?" Harry asked from the window with a raised eyebrow.

The girl stared at him and blinked a few times. "Don't you know why I'm here?"

"No," most of the room replied.

"Well, it's quite simple. I'm a double agent working for The Order of the Phoenix to spy on my 'official' master, Lord Psycho. I report back to other Order members when I learn something I think they should know. I usually can't come in person, but this time I was able to work it out without her suspecting anything."

"Usually she sends letters or 'eem-ayles' to whomever can receive them," Mr. Weasley added. He was referring to emails, not "eem-ayles" as he mispronounced it.

"Right. I'm the Master of Communications in Lord Psycho's organization, so I'm in charge of _all_ contact with the outside world. It's a piece of cake for me to send stuff and go through other peoples' messages secretly since it's my job anyway," Shin continued rather proudly.

"One of my coworkers caught me in the act a while ago, but then he told me that he was actually a spy for the Ministry. Since we were in the same boat, we took an oath of silence, agreeing to keep each other's secrets as long as we did whatever we could to aid each other. I, for example, have made it possible for him to contact his superiors without getting caught, and he shares all of his information with me. Some of the things he's told me I _never_ would have figured out if it weren't for him."

"You're lucky he didn't rat you out to your boss," Bill said.

"I know. I try to thank him for it every chance I get," she said. "But I think he realized that if we cooperated, we'd both be a _lot_ better off in the end."

"But how'd you get into the Order? You're only a year older than us, and _we're_ not allowed to join it!" Ron protested, giving both Shin and his father a dirty look.

"She was a special case," Mr. Weasley explained patiently. "Her mother was a highly skilled Auror and an established member of the Order. When we contacted Shin about 2 years ago, Lord Psycho had already recruited her. That was when we inducted her in order to make her a double agent. If she weren't already working for Lord Psycho, we wouldn't have done it. Shin agreed to it, of course, in honor of her mother."

That wasn't the answer Ron was looking for, but he didn't argue. He just showed how displeased he was by sulking in his chair, looking cranky.

"Why did you agree to work for her?" Hermione asked Shin.

"I wanted revenge on the Death Eaters for killing my mother," she replied in an unexpectedly cold voice. "Lord Psycho offered me a way to do that. In the near future, she's going to destroy You-Know-Who and all of his followers. Everyone who works for her wants revenge on them for some reason, so when she gets rid of them it's like she's getting revenge for all of us. Everyone who works for her helps her come closer and closer to the day she kills them; that's what keeps most of us going."

"What makes _her_ think she can destroy Voldemort when no one else has been able to?" Harry asked skeptically.

Shin giggled uneasily, and Maxu answered for her. "If you knew her, you wouldn't doubt her."

"You work for her, too, then?" Mr. Weasley asked, giving the young man's jacket a curious glance.

"Yeah," Maxu replied. "I'm the Grand General of the Army, and I'm in deep shit if she finds out I was here…but if I say Shin dragged me over here without telling me what was going on, I think I'll be off the hook."

"So why did _you_ start working for her, if you don't mind my asking?" Hermione questioned.

"Revenge, of course. His Death Eaters used my entire family for target practice. By the time the Aurors got there, I was the only one left. We were on vacation – I'm originally from Los Angeles, and that's in California if you didn't know. I was four at the time. About three months later, Voldy-pants snuffed it thanks to Harry over there. I was sent to live with a retired Auror, back in L. A., and when she died three years ago, I met Lord Psycho and signed myself up for her services, and the rest is history. The end," Maxu said in a zombie-like tone. "And don't say you're sorry. I don't remember my family, so how can I miss them?"

No one answered.

"Anyway, working for Lord Psycho's not so bad once you get used to it," he added. "She's a raging bitch most of the time, but she's really pretty generous if you're on her good side." He stopped to cough, and it sounded suspiciously like 'Evil Minion.'

"We're in two of the highest positions, so we spend a lot of time with her personally," Shin said. "She's probably the scariest person I've ever met, but she's not _all_ bad…(I think)…"

"You zeem to be vehry loyal to zis 'Psycho' woman," Fleur said suspiciously.

"Not at the moment,' Shin said bluntly. "That's why I came all the way over here today. Over the past several months, I've been noticing strange messages going to and from Lord Psycho, by both email and owl post. The senders and recipients are unknown, but the contents of the messages aren't adding up to anything good."

"What do you mean?" Mr. Weasley asked, concerned.

"Well, the messages by themselves seem pretty harmless, but I've noticed several repeating patterns now that I've read so many of them. I've seen certain codenames repeated in consecutive letters, and certain ones that show up almost every time.

"I haven't been able to make much out of most of the codenames, but I guessed at a few, and I think I may be right. When I replace the codename with what I believe it means, it's like the light turns on and everything suddenly makes sense. The one that bothers me the most is 'Dementor,' who seems to be a man that both Lord Psycho and her contacts hold in high regard. If you knew her, you'd know how shocking it is for her to hold another person in high regard – she has a bit of a Queen-of-the-Universe complex.

"Anyway, this 'Dementor' person seems to know Lord Psycho personally, and quite well at that. He's never written to her himself, unless he was clever enough to make it look like someone else was writing it. But the main people she contacts seem to work for him, like Maxu and I work for her. These people, after decoding the messages a bit, seem to fit the description of various Death Eaters, or just Death Eaters in general. The way they write about things and the things they write about definitely sound like them."

Mr. Weasley's eyebrows shot up. "So that means 'Dementor' is…"

Shin took a steadying breath and said, "Voldemort."

Bill glanced at the closet again. He was _sure _he heard a bump that time…

"B-but that makes no sense!" Mr. Weasley blurted. "She's completely against him, isn't she? Why would she be contacting Death Eaters like they're her old mates if they're supposed to be her enemies?"

"This is why I had to come here tonight," she said gravely, twisting the hem of her shirt in her hands. "Like I said in the letter, I wanted to come sooner but it was impossible. I couldn't put this in writing because it was too dangerous. If she somehow intercepted it and read what I wrote…well, you would literally never see me again. Now you'll know why; I've come to the conclusion that Lord Psycho is currently or was once a Death Eater."

Everyone stared, until they couldn't hold it in any longer and a wave of questions and shouts poured out. Maxu wasn't surprised; he had the same reaction when she explained it to him on the way to the Burrow.

"You must be mad!"

"Why in the wide world would she lie about something like that?"

"If that's true, then why is she fighting against her own master?"

"Maybe You-Know-Who kicked her out and she wants revenge."

"Oh, you're loonier than she is!"

Mr. Weasley was the only one Shin really listened to. "Are you sure you've looked into this thoroughly? Is there really no way you could be wrong?"

"Well, of course she could be wrong," Maxu butted in. "But until Lord Psycho herself disproves it, I see no reason to argue with her. The logic is sound, and I can honestly see her being a Death Eater."

Shin laughed a little uneasily. "Me too."

"Oh, you can, can you?" a calm, frigid voice said, almost amused.

By the time anyone looked, Shin was dangling a foot off the floor, with a hand clamped around her throat like a vice. The arm attached to the hand was attached to a body, and that body belonged to none other than Lord Psycho. She stood there, choking the girl, in all her armored glory, eyes blazing with cold fury.

Shin was whiter than snow, shaking in terror, and gasping for air. Tears soon formed in her wide, brown eyes; she knew that she only had a short time left to live.

Everyone else in the room stared. They didn't need to be told who this was, and now they understood why Shin and Maxu had described her the way they did.

Bill shivered in his seat. The closet door behind him was open. He could only imagine what would have happened if he had tried to open it before, and found her lurking in there like a ravenous cat waiting for just the right moment to pounce on her prey.

"I can't say I agree with you, though," Lord Psycho said rather casually, as she forced the armor on her left forearm to slide off and hit the floor with a clank. "Especially because I'm not too keen on getting myself tattooed." She turned her arm over both ways, showing that it was bare and devoid of the Dark Mark. Maxu felt the blood drain from his face.

"I ought to give you a bit of credit for successfully going behind my back like this. I must say, you're the last person I would have expected to betray me," she continued with a malicious gleam in her eyes. "Still, a traitor is a traitor, and you shall be punished accordingly; by death."

"That's _it_?" Harry said boldly. She didn't seem much more intimidating than Voldemort, and he'd survived him several times already. "You'll kill her, just like that?"

"Yes," she said simply. "I've put my own underlings to death before, when they've pissed me off enough."

"So they're meaningless pawns to you? Throw 'em out when they're no good?" Harry pressed, staring at her defiantly. "You'd think you could care even a _little_ bit about the people that devote their lives to you."

"Whether I care to not is irrelevant. This is how I do things. Those who turn traitor or disobey my orders are put to death."

"…I…I'm not worried…"

Lord Psycho turned back to Shin, amazed that she could speak. "Pray tell, why not?"

"…you only killed someone for this once…and that was years ago…" she wheezed. "…and this is my first offense…I don't think you're that cruel…to just kill me on a whim…"

Her master grinned at her cruelly. The poor fools had been gone all week; they couldn't possibly have known that she'd eaten Commander Howard alive, piece by piece, only days ago. She was still upset over that whole thing, and Shin was totally oblivious.

"Unfortunately for you, I _am_ that cruel. Plus I'm feeling like more of a raging bitch than usual this week, so you'll be good for some stress relief."

An old, scuffed brown shoe suddenly hit Lord Psycho in the side of the head. She didn't deflect it or duck, even though she could have done either one easily. She didn't flinch when it struck her or get mad immediately, but instead turned to face the source of the projectile and fired a death glare at him. Matsu glared right back at her, even though he looked foolish with only one shoe on.

"I will not allow that," he said forcefully.

"…dad…no…" Shin begged quietly. "…it's okay…"

"Oh, you won't, eh? And how do you plan on stopping me, you pathetic Muggle?" Lord Psycho spat, annoyed that he had the nerve to throw a shoe at her.

"You'll have to kill me first if you want to hurt my daughter," Matsu replied defiantly.

The tears finally seeped out of Shin's eyes and streamed down her face. That was the first time he had ever called her "my daughter" with such pride. And he said he would give his life to save her… _Oh, dad…You're finally back to normal…I'm so happy…_

Lord Psycho dropped her carelessly onto the floor and faced her father. "That can be arranged," she said maliciously, sliding the armor back onto her arm and cracking her knuckles.

Maxu suddenly stood up and walked between Shin, who was crouched on the floor by Mr. Weasley's legs, massaging her bruised throat, and his master. "Sit down, Mr. Hakubo. I'll take it from here," he said with unusual composure.

Matsu gaped at him in a mix of confusion and concern. What in the world was the foolish boy thinking?

Before the man could try to find out, Maxu spoke to Lord Psycho very calmly. "If you intend to put her to death, you're going to have to kill me as well."

"What the hell are you talking about?" she demanded as she spun to face him. "I understand why _he_ would say that, but _you_?"

"…Maxu…no…" Shin pleaded from the floor. "…stop…please…"

"You've always promoted 'equal treatment,' right?"

"Of course."

"Well, then, shouldn't one traitor be treated the same as another, regardless of gender and true employer?"

Lord Psycho's eye twitched.

"Scrimgeour won't be happy to hear that my mission ended this way, but that's okay," he added, smirking. "The Ministry knows enough about you by now, so I've done my duty. Pity I won't live long enough to become a full-fledged Auror." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his Auror-in-Training identification badge.

"So…" she said slowly, crossing her arms bemusedly. "_You're_ the Ministry spy she was talking about. You two were in this together. How sweet. Now I know why you faked that love-hate relationship – to throw me off, right?"

Maxu nodded proudly as he slipped the badge back into its place. "It worked like a charm."

Lord Psycho suddenly turned to Matsu and asked, "Don't tell me – you're a spy for the Muggle government, aren't you?"

"N-no! I am nothing of the sort!" he blurted.

She grinned hugely at him. "Well, good for you. But you will share in the same sentence as your daughter. Without her, I have no reason to keep you in my services. Never wanted you anywhere near me in the first place, and you're too much of a troublemaker to keep on the job, so it's no loss for me."

"No!" Shin shouted desperately. "Leave him out of this! He didn't do anything! I didn't even tell him about all this until we were on the way here!"

"You think I didn't already know that? Don't insult me," her ex-master said. "The spies I sent to trail you three reported back to me the moment after they heard you explaining things to dear old dad – you know, back when you were still in Kyoto."

Shin's red, puffy eyes got even wider.

"Don't look so surprised," Lord Psycho laughed. "Surely you didn't think you could get here faster than me?"

The girl collapsed on the floor, sobbing silently, and murmuring, "…it's all my fault…it's all my fault…"

"No it isn't!" Maxu said forcefully, crouching down and grabbing her shoulder to get her attention. "We both knew we'd be caught sooner or later, and we were prepared to pay the consequences. There's _no_ _way_ you could have known about someone following us, listening to everything we said! This is _not your fault_!"

Shin refused to listen, and went on crying and muttering to herself. The American felt horrid and guilty, seeing her so upset and knowing that she had every reason to be. It wasn't like this was his fault, or _anyone's_ fault for that matter, but he felt like it was his responsibility that she had just been sentenced to her death. She didn't deserve it; she was too kind to die like that. Even after all the times he made her mad and all the times his faults would rear their ugly heads at her, she never stopped saying, "Maxu is my friend."

He would have been glad to take her place if he wasn't going to be executed as well. She deserved to live, no matter what Lord Psycho said. That woman was nothing more than an insane menace, and she had no right to choose who lived and who died like she was some kind of god. Shin was only going to die because she caused Lord Psycho an inconvenience. That cruel, selfish, wretched woman was going to take this warm, sweet, loving girl's life, and there was nothing Maxu could do to stop it.

He knew that long ago, when he first received the order from the last Minister of Magic to work for Lord Psycho as a double agent. He had learned over time that when she put her mind to something, there was no stopping her. He knew that once she issued the death sentence, it was going to be carried out without fail. He knew these things. And yet his desire to ignore all sense and reason and fight against her was tearing him apart. Why did the thought of Psycho murdering Shin bother him so?

"Hey," he said gently. "Don't worry…At least we know she's going down in the end, thanks to what we've done."

Lord Psycho suddenly burst out laughing. "You really are pathetic," she gasped. "You actually think that by telling them all you know about me, they'll have an easier time stopping me?"

Maxu answered hesitantly, "Yes…"

She doubled over again, shaking and choking because she wasn't getting enough air. "I knew you were dull, but this is unbelievable!"

No one said anything as she gradually calmed down, because they had no idea what she was talking about.

Lord Psycho straightened up and saw the looks she was receiving, so she explained. "With your amount of knowledge, even if you told the whole world, you wouldn't be able to do a damned thing. You can't possibly imagine the things I have planned and didn't tell you two about. The only ones who know more than the two of you are Edgar and Evil Minion, and they're both too smart and loyal to betray me like you two have. So, really, your 'spying' on me didn't help at all. Your deaths are for futile efforts. Good job!"

Now Shin looked even more helpless, if that was possible. But Maxu just scoffed and said, "Don't listen to her. She's just trying to trick us into thinking she's undefeatable."

Lord Psycho put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him critically. "My, my, you're being right nasty. And here I thought you admired me and _liked_ working for me. Where'd your desire for revenge go?"

"It didn't go anywhere," he replied. "And now that I'm seeing your real nature firsthand, I've realized that I never enjoyed being on your side to begin with. Yes, I want to see You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters crushed like the disgusting bugs they are, but I for _sure_ don't want _you_ to take his place. You're _worse _than he is."

She continued staring at him curiously. "I really had no idea you were such an idiot. Oh well, nothing to be done about it now. What about you?" She looked down at Shin, who peered up at her feebly, not saying a word.

"So now I get the silent treatment? Ungrateful brat," Lord Psycho said condescendingly. "Moving on, since I now know of your obviously long-standing traitorous intentions, I have to ask; is there anyone else involved in this?"

Shin let her eyes drop to the floor again, and Maxu just stared at his ex-master blankly.

She took a sharp breath and said in a dangerous tone, "It would be in your best interest to answer truthfully. Your punishment can always be increased, as I'm sure you know."

"No," the American said feebly. "There's no one else. We never even told anyone to try to get them to join us."

"That would include Evil Minion, correct?" Lord Psycho asked in a rather odd voice.

"Of course!" Maxu yelped, looking frightened at the thought. "He threatened to kill me when I made a very mild joke about you once! Can you imagine how he'd react if we told him about _this_?"

She looked quite satisfied and replied, "Yes, I suppose I can. If he was able to pull something like this off behind my back, then I must be the King of Japan." Shin did not laugh at the inside joke this time.

**Well, to be perfectly honest, Nyxie, I find it rather pathetic that such worthless peons were able to fool you for so long**, the Beast purred nastily. **If precious Kalixius Number Two betrayed you like this…why, I don't believe you'd recover from it. It seems you're getting rusty; I'd see to that before it becomes a problem.**

_Thank you, Captain Obvious, _Nyx thought back as maliciously as she could. When the Beast began another cruel comment, she imagined cutting his chest open, dumping lemon juice, gasoline and salt in the gaping wound, and then lighting it all on fire. He was quiet for a while after that.

But she couldn't deny the truth of his words, no matter how painful it was to hear it. It bothered her that these two kids were able to outsmart her. The fact that they were traitors just proved their idiocy and didn't matter much to her, but that made her feel worse because they had still beaten her at her own game. Neither Snape nor Slughorn ever tried to lie to her because they knew better; she _always_ knew when someone was lying, and she _always_ made them pay dearly for thinking they could get away with it. Why hadn't it worked this time?

Perhaps it was because they never outright lied to her. After all, she never asked them, "hey, would either of you happen to be spies?" She never asked Shin, "did you read my mail today?" or ask Maxu "do you really hate working around her as much as you make it seem?" It wasn't that they found a loophole; they just got _lucky_.

Nyx made a careful mental note of these things so that it would never happen again. She couldn't stand being bested at her greatest talent, and she would _not_ have it happen again.

She stood there impressively as these thoughts passed through her mind in an instant. It was then that she noticed the looks the Weasley's and their guests were giving her.

"I must look a lot more terrifying than I thought," she commented, mostly to herself, as she smiled in a sort of 'I know something you don't know' way.

"It's not your looks that frighten us," Mr. Weasley said bluntly, but cautiously.

"Not _these_ looks, anyway," Nyx added. "Last week you were plenty scared, and it was only because of how I looked."

"What are you talking about?" the man asked, gaping at her in mild alarm.

Nyx stared back at him. "You mean you don't recognize me?"

"Of course not!" Harry blurted. "We've never seen you before in our lives!"

"Of all people to say such a thing!" she said dramatically. "I'm really losing my faith in humanity because of you buffoons…Just shut up and watch."

Nyx strode over to the closet, hopped inside, yanked the door shut behind her, and exited it a moment later, looking exactly as she had the week before when she came to their house – but in human, not werewolf, form. She stood there and looked around as if to say, "I told you so."

Every person in the room felt their stomach drop ten floors as the realization hit them. Oh, what they wouldn't give to forget what they now knew about that girl…

Nyx grinned widely and almost sang, "It's that look of dawning comprehension that I live for."

She then moved back over to her ex-minions and flicked a hand at Maxu and Shin. The girl was slowly lifted up from the floor by an invisible hand around her throat, so that she was dangling about half a foot in the air. Maxu was in the same position, but neither of them were being strangled. If Nyx killed them now, how could she have any fun with them later? All that she was doing now was restraining them enough so that, if they were indeed stupid enough to do so, they couldn't attempt to flee before they arrived at Death Row. She didn't feel like chasing them right now.

Nyx left Matsu alone because, since he was a Muggle, she had nothing to worry about. He couldn't apparate or try to free the others, and she was sure that he knew how futile it would be to try to run off.

"You know, it's kind of ironic that I was here just a week ago trying to get into the Order myself, and here I had someone in it all along," Nyx commented, looking at Shin very cruelly. "If you had told me sooner, this might not be happening, you know."

Shin stared back at her with sad, lifeless eyes as if to ask, "why are you telling me this _now_?" Maxu just glared at her with as much hatred as he could manage.

"Well, my friends, it certainly has been a hoot, but I really must be going now," Nyx said to the whole room, bowing to them sarcastically. "Business to take care of, you know."

As she waved her hand at her two floating minions, they stared to drift towards the front door. One look from Nyx told Matsu that he should follow them. As she herself began backing up to leave as well, she stopped and added in a poisonously sweet voice, "Oh, and I may as well warn you that if any of you so much as breathes a word of this to anyone, _ever_, I will hunt you down, kill your friends and family before your eyes, and then kill you. Testing me to see if I really mean it is _not_ advisable."

She added cheerily to the three Gryffindors by the window, "See you in class bright and early tomorrow! Don't forget to save me a seat!"

And with that, Nyx turned and skipped out the front door after her soon-to-be-snacks, humming "The Perfect Drug" with that twisted grin plastered all over her face.

--- to be continued in Chapter 31 : Panic Attack ---

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (With exception of Nyx, Shin/Sakura, Matsu, Maxu, SMS, the Beast, and anyone else I forgot.) 

**A/N:** Sorry this took a while to get up. Being of the artsy variety, I love making personalized birthday cards for people. Well, wouldn't you know it that EVERYONE IS BORN IN FREAKING NOVEMBER. Don't get me wrong - I enjoy making the cards and whatnot. It's just the fact that everyone's birthday falls within a 2-week period, and that doesn't give me a great deal of time to finish them all by the people's birthdays, especially when you add in homework, fanfics, and sleeping. Since 4 out of 5 of these people are among my best friends (one of them being my loverly beta, Tiff) and the 5th is my mom, those cards are at a slightly higher priority than finishing the next chapter.

Anyway, I only have one left to finish, and that girl's birthday is a whole week away, and her card is simple, so I'm not feeling pressed for time. Yay. That means I can get moving on chapter 31 promptly. Yay again.

**General Notes:** The "Little Buddy" thing is from a friend of mine named Chelsea, who likes to call me "little buddy" to make a joke about my height (I'm not short, she's just too tall). Fred and George are taller than Shin (who is my height...5 ft 2 in...shutup...), so I figured it was appropriate.

I hope Maxu and Shin being spies was a curve ball, because that's what it was supposed to be. People -cough-you know who you are-cough- have predicted things before, but I'm certain this was a surprise to everyone reading it. To some, it probably wasn't a good surprise, but for more info on that, read the "Final Words."

If you're having trouble with why Nyx seems to be extra cruel in this chapter, allow me to explain. After the whole episode with Howard and Kalixius' body, she's still on edge and easily irritated. Even though, like Nyx said, what they did won't make her life any more difficult, she's still intensely annoyed that two kids pulled this off without her knowing. But it's not because of that that she's putting Shin and Maxu to death - about 5 years ago, she did the same to 2 other spies, so she feels no remorse whatsever for it. As she said, killing traitors is simply protocol. (If you still want more clarification/reasoning for this, it will come in the next chapter, so I can't tell you right now.)

I'm kinda hoping that Matsu's sudden change in attitude will make people like him a little more, but that's still up to you. He was a total ass before, but he's turned over a new leaf now, and I hope the "We Hate Matsu" club will take this into consideration. -end fake petition-

If you haven't guessed already, the reasoning behind Nyx revealing her identity to everyone at the Burrow will be discussed in the next chapter. It's quite simple, but since it'll be in the next chapter I may as well save it for then. (If you insist upon knowing right now, I'll tell you individually.)

**Preview: **The first day back at Hogwarts after Easter vacation starts off bad for the Trio, thanks to Nyx as usual. She's still in a shitty mood, but things start looking up for her when Snape uses his authority to get her on the Quidditch team. The day of her first match, however, ends in the event that will unravel the intricate plans and complex lies she has relied on for the past 15 years.

**Final Words: **Of all the chapters I've written, this is the only one I'm EXPECTING complaints about, just because people don't want to see Sakura/Shin and Maxu die. If you want to tell me how you feel about it, please do, even if you hate me for it. But please don't say "I'm never reading this again because this is just awful" because things do not always turn out the way they seem.

In other news, the 1-year anniversary of this fic is coming up fairly soon (December 14th), and I would like to make a special picture to thank everyone for sticking with me for so long. However, I'd like to hear what the readers want to see in the pic - maybe your favorite scene, your favorite character, or a joke picture you thought of. Provided I get enough responses, I'll pick the one I'm the most inspired by and do that one. For example: An OKoE/Wizard of Oz crossover - Nyx is obviously the Wicked Witch, the minions are flying monkeys, Voldy is Glinda the Good Witch, Dumbledore is Oz, etc., etc., etc. (I like crossovers, but I can only do soemthing I'm _quite_ familiar with.)

These'll have to be within reason, though. I doubt I'd be able to finish it by the exact day, but I'll do my best. Obviously if you ask for a picture of every single one of my original characters, that'll take a hell of a while to finish. (Unless you want it to be sketchy and not perfectionistical, as I usually do things.) Anyway, give me your suggestions and I'll give you an update with the next chapter!

(The only rules are these: 1. don't request something sexually explicit because I have no experience in that field and don't want to know who's supposed to be involved in it anyway, and 2. Shannon can't request yaoi no matter how much she begs and/or threatens me with pointy things and squirrels. Pictures of a character pairing are fine as long as they involve one of my characters.)

**wolke7: **Vielen Dank für die Rezension! I'm glad you liked the chapter, the hug scene, and the Jack/Nyx pairing! I know exactly what you mean about "Nyx's dark side." You will see her "dark side" a lot more often from now on, actually. But she will still act stupid and childish, so it's not like she's a totally different character now.

I'm glad you have a way to understand the story. I use online dictonaries and translators all the time, haha. (That is where my German came from, but I would like to learn German in a class, too. The only other thing I know in German is "Ich will Kühe!" XD A girl at my school is from Germany, and I said "Ich will Kühe" to her one day. Now she thinks I'm really wierd.)

(To anyone reading this who doesn't know German... "Ich will Kühe" means "I want cows." YAYNESS.)

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**---** **k**avi - **s**ama **---**


	31. Chapter 31: Panic Attack

Chapter 31 : Panic Attack

Three Gryffindors walked solemnly into Professor Slughorn's classroom, as if they were walking to their own funerals. Three short notes had reached them by owl only minutes ago, requesting that they each come to class a healthy ten minutes early this morning. If it were any other day, these three would only be curious to know why they were being summoned, instead of half-terrified as they were now. But today, they knew that this could not go well. All because they knew that one person was involved; Nyx.

She, whom they no longer referred to as "Ariana" now that they knew better, was nowhere to be seen at breakfast. In fact, they hadn't seen her once since the night before, when she permanently made herself an object of fear and resentment to them. But they knew she was at school; they overheard some Slytherin girls talking about what a weird mood she was in that morning. They hadn't forgotten Nyx's promise to kill them if they told a single soul about her secrets, and especially when it concerned SMS and Lord Psycho.

They worried that she was going to accuse them of talking about her to give herself an excuse to kill them. After hearing her give the death sentence to two of her own underlings the night before, and for what they thought was a rather stupid reason, they wouldn't put it past her to make something up in order to kill them as well.

Harry, Ron and Hermione had to admit to themselves and each other that their previous friendship with her was a lie, and that there was no reason for her to show any compassion towards them. They had to accept this now so that if Nyx planned to kill them, they wouldn't waste their final moments begging for mercy. Anything they had said or done in the past counted for nothing now that they knew the truth about her. In her eyes, they had no excuse to live if she wanted them to be dead.

The trio was not surprised to see Nyx sitting on Slughorn's desk, kicking her legs back and forth, and smiling placidly at them as they walked to their seats. The Potions professor stood behind the desk, fidgeting with his coat buttons uncomfortably, and trying not to look at the three students. The figure lurking in the corner, which turned out to be Snape, was a bit of a shock to them, since they didn't immediately realize why he would be there.

"Well, well, well, punctual as always, I see. Ten points to Gryffindor," Nyx said mockingly. "Since we're a bit pressed for time, I'll get straight to the point."

"We haven't said anything to anyone, just like you warned us not to," Harry interrupted, giving her a steely glare.

She stared at him for a moment. "I know that, you fool. I know everything you do, as a matter of fact. You needn't waste my time telling me you were a good boy, so don't do it again."

Harry flinched a little at her harsh response.

"Now, where was I…?" Nyx murmured, staring at her feet for a moment. "Oh, right! I wanted to tell you that I altered part of our deal. The only people you have permission to talk about me with are Horace and Severus. Everyone else is still off-limits, though."

"W-why?" Hermione asked timidly.

"Because they know even more about me than you do, so you're not leaking information if you tell them things," she replied, giving each of the men a glance. "They're both bound to similar agreements so that they can't go blabbing about me either. In Horace's case, it's the Unbreakable Vow that keeps him quiet. In Severus' case, it's his own common sense and self-control. I'd rather not go through the bother of making the Vow with you three or your families, so I think you can rely on your own common sense and self-control to keep your mouths shut."

"How do _they_ know about you?" Ron asked with barely more confidence than Hermione.

"Horace is too nosy for his own good, and Severus deserved to be told the whole truth," Nyx said simply.

"Then why did you let us know these things?" Harry piped up, not meeting her eyes. "We never asked about any of it, and we've done nothing to deserve it."

Nyx eyed him for a little while, pondering how she would phrase her answer. Finally, with a cruel smirk, she replied, "I suppose I just like fucking around with people's heads, and an opportunity presented itself."

The Boy Who Lived finally looked up at her, with a mix of disgust and fear written all over his face. He had certainly underestimated her when he thought that Voldemort was worse than she was.

"If that's all on that subject, I would like to emphasize something," Nyx continued nonchalantly. "You understand that if you disobey me, your punishment will be quite severe."

The three nodded, although it wasn't a question.

"But do not make the mistake of believing that it cannot become worse," she said, holding her finger up in a Slughorn-like way. "If you were to tell someone of no importance – Draco Malfoy, for example – I would merely submit you to a fairly quick but not entirely painless death. However, if you were to tell someone like Albus Dumbledore, I'm afraid I'd have to make you pay for it considerably more."

"Like…how?" Hermione peeped.

"Oh, nothing too fancy…" Nyx replied, twirling her hair around her finger. "Eating you alive would be sufficient."

The Gryffindors turned four shades paler, and Hermione gagged quietly. Even Slughorn had a hard time acting like that didn't bother him.

"Is…Is that what you did to those two we saw yesterday?" Harry asked weakly.

"Not yet," she said, disappointed. "They're too resigned to their fate right now, so it won't be any fun to kill them if they're not begging for mercy. So I'm going to make them sweat it out for a week or two until I feel like finishing them off."

"…horrible person…" Hermione muttered to her fingers, feeling a pang of sadness for that cheerful girl who was now going to die.

But Nyx ignored her. "As I was saying, that should be incentive enough for you to keep quiet around Dumbledore in particular."

"Why him, and not anyone else?" Harry asked.

"Because this is none of his business, and I hate him anyway. If he can't figure this out on his own, then I'm not telling him myself," she replied snobbishly. "And that means _you_ certainly can't tell him either. Got it?"

"Yes," they muttered.

"Good. Moving along, I have one last thing to mention, while I have time," Nyx continued. "As far as everyone else in this school is concerned, the four of us are like peas in a pod. It would be terribly mean of us to confuse them, wouldn't it?"

They stared at her, waiting for her to explain. They were somewhat afraid to guess at what she meant.

"If we all start acting like we hate each other, people won't be able to control themselves, and they'll start asking bothersome questions," Nyx went on with fake concern, enjoying herself thoroughly. "I'd hate for you three to subjected to that sort of pressure, and slip up because of it. It would be a right shame if I had to kill you because your classmates couldn't mind their own business."

"So you want us to pretend we're still friends, right?" Harry asked coldly.

"Of course," she said, grinning. "I don't care what you _really_ think of me, but it is in your best interest to make it look like nothing happened over vacation. Now is not the time for people to suspect me of anything."

"What if one of the teachers catches on somehow, and forces us to tell the truth with Veritaserum or something?" Hermione asked in a small voice.

"That won't be possible," Snape spoke up, striding nearer to the Gryffindors. "Professor Slughorn and myself are the only staff members skilled enough to make Veritaserum perfectly. We've already hidden Hogwarts' entire stock, and we won't be making any more if it's going to be used on you three – rather, we won't make any _real_ Veritaserum."

"Are you allowed to do that?" Ron asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Of course not," Nyx said. "But he's doing it because **_I_** told him to – the same goes for Horace – so they really have no choice."

"**_What?"_** Harry yelped. "Are you telling me _they_ work for you, too?"

"Horace doesn't, but he might as well," she replied. "Technically, Severus doesn't work for me either, but my minions are under the impression that he does. Once I knock off those two traitors, he'll have the choice between becoming the Grand General or the Master of Communications – whichever he wants. It doesn't matter since they're both superfluous positions anyway, and he won't have to do anything important."

"I get the feeling I'm not trusted," Snape said with a smirk.

"No, you're just put to better use in other ways," Nyx replied honestly.

"So, S- _Professor_ Snape isn't your guardian," Hermione said, to the surprise of her two friends. They didn't think she'd be so bold as to take control over the conversation, especially considering whom she was talking to.

"Heavens, no! I'm older than _he_ is!" Nyx replied, laughing.

"And your father didn't die on Black Monday, did he?" she asked with more confidence.

"No. He's been dead for- " Nyx stopped abruptly when Snape nudged her; she almost forgot who she was talking to. "…He's been dead for a very long time. Sev made that up because I had to leave right away. Voldemort was trying to pick a fight with me, but I showed that brainless oaf who's the big fish in _this_ pond."

The trio _almost_ smiled at that, but then they remembered what that American guy said to her the night before; _"I want to see You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters crushed like the disgusting bugs they are, but I for **sure** don't want **you** to take his place." _

They wondered who they would prefer to win and which one would be easier to live with. Right now, they were going with Voldemort. Unfortunately, they knew that unless Nyx went through her Insanity Decline pretty soon, she would have to be victorious, and the rest of the world would lose. They would honestly rather live in a world ruled by pureblood supremacists than become slaves to Nyx's whims, which centered around herself and her microscopic circle of "friends," and be exploited for her own amusement.

They thought Nyx was bad now, but in a matter of days they would be willing to give anything to have her like this again.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

For the next week, life was smooth sailing for Nyx. Those Gryffindor twits were obeying her, albeit grudgingly, and no one had a clue about the unpleasant events that occurred over Easter vacation. She was still annoyed about all of it, but her mood was improving as the days went by. Her temper was still short and prone to flare-ups, and her appetite for sadism hadn't been satisfied yet. Taking her frustrations out on unsuspecting 1st-years and Hufflepuffs helped a lot, though.

Nyx had one new thing to look forward to since that first day back, and that was Quidditch. Snape basically blackmailed the Slytherin Captain to get Nyx on the team because she wouldn't stop bothering him about it. Everyone knew the Slytherin team was suffering this year, but there weren't any excuses to pull someone off and replace them with Nyx. Until she gave a demonstration of her skills, that is.

One of the few times Nyx was ever grateful to have SMS was when she was playing Quidditch. The extra-sensory abilities made her a flawless player no matter what position she was on. The Captain was the Keeper so he couldn't be removed, and the Chasers were improving, slowly but surely, and she didn't like being a Chaser anyway. Nyx wasn't allowed to be a Beater because she would _definitely_ kill someone; she herself admitted that she might "forget" to control her strength now and then. So the Seeker, the weakest link on the team, was kicked off and replaced by Nyx.

She and Snape suggested that the other players not mention how good she was until after the first game, taking place the following Saturday, was over. According to Nyx, everyone in the house would start hating her even more for getting on the team just because Snape was her guardian, making her seem like a spoiled brat. After she won the game single-handedly, they'd love her more than Salazar Slytherin himself. Since she privately wanted to break off the fake friendship with Harry, Ron and Hermione, this was the perfect way to do it.

Once her housemates started liking her, Nyx could pretend to be "converted" and gradually drift away from the Gryffindors, and start acting more like a "true Slytherin." No one would ever suspect that they stopped getting along weeks before, and, although she didn't care anyway, she knew that the trio would appreciate it, too. Nyx would get to play a game she loved (truthfully, it was the fact that she always _won_ that she liked the most) and push those insufferable Gryffindors out of her life once and for all, at the same time; it was the perfect plan.

Too bad for her it would destroy everything she had worked towards for the past 15 years.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, the 26th of April, only five days after she hatched her brilliant plot, and Nyx was being carried off the Quidditch pitch on her classmates' shoulders. The Slytherins were cheering and screaming for her like they had never cheered and screamed before. The Gryffindor team was still standing out on the field, completely flabbergasted.

The match was over in 2 minutes and 8 seconds, only because Nyx felt like dragging it out a bit, and messing around with the Gryffindor Beaters because she knew that they were the best Beaters in the school, and wanted to piss them of because they still couldn't hit her.

Harry nearly fell off his broom when he realized that the reason all the Slytherins were going crazy was because Nyx caught the snitch already. He hadn't even _started_ looking for it. Everyone else in the air had a similar reaction. The spectators in the stands merely went completely silent as they gaped at the girl waving the little gold ball around in the air as she did flips on her Firebolt.

By the time they scraped their jaws off the floor and put their eyes back in their heads, more than a few people had gone to Madam Hooch to protest. She promised them that Nyx had broken no rules in order to find the snitch so quickly, but some people wouldn't hear of it. This was the _Slytherin_ team; they weren't supposed to start doing good _now! _

There were only a few more weeks left in the season, but if Slytherin won every single match it had left, they would be tied with Gryffindor, and therefore have a shot at the Cup. The other houses were stunned and furious about this. The Slytherins hadn't been this overjoyed since they won the House Cup 7 years ago.

The crowd of green-and-silver-clad students finally poured into the Slytherin common room and let their Quidditch players walk on their own feet again (the rest of the team had nothing to do with the victory, but they were so happy that they beat Gryffindor, they didn't really care). Someone inadvertently started a party when they set off a smuggled-in Weasley's Wildfire Whiz-Bang firework (the lovely dragon-shaped kind), and soon it sounded like Voldemort had been victorious and their parents had all been promoted to ruling individual countries in their master's empire.

Nyx was just as happy as they were, and even happier because her plan was working, as usual. But her Quidditch uniform wasn't the most comfortable thing to wear whilst celebrating, so she scurried up to the dormitory to change after promising to come back shortly.

As soon as she burst in the door, Jack hopped out of his cage and onto her bed. "What the hell is going on down there?" he asked. "Aren't you supposed to be at a match right now?"

"It's over," she replied, grinning in spite of herself. "I caught the snitch two minutes in. Gryffindor hadn't even scored yet."

The raven stared at her, dumbfounded. "…are you kidding me? No one's caught a snitch that fast in a hundred years!"

"Why do you think they're throwing a party for me down there, then?" Nyx asked as she flipped open her trunk and started digging around for something to wear.

Just as he was about to respond, the door creaked open, and Jack shot back into his cage. Nyx turned to look, and to her genuine surprise, Pansy Parkinson stepped in. Ever since that first day, these two had hated each other, and they were quite used to giving each other sour looks whenever they met. But this time, Pansy wasn't giving Nyx the usual sneer. Instead, she looked almost apologetic and a little sheepish.

"Need something?" Nyx asked in a neutral tone.

"Um…I saw you going up here, so I followed you," she began, twiddling with the end of her scarf. "I just wanted to say congratulations on the game, and I'm sorry for being a prick to you when you first came here."

The other girl stared. Was the Snob of all Snobs actually trying to be _nice_ to her?

"I guess I didn't give you a chance," Pansy added, staring at the floor as she spoke. "When I saw how Draco acted towards you, I decided I didn't like you. Then you started hanging around with Harry Potter and all of them, and everyone thought you were a mudblood-lover and that sort of thing…But after seeing you play today, I know you belong in this house."

"What do you mean?" Nyx asked with intense curiosity.

"Well, Harry Potter is the Gryffindor Seeker, and you didn't show him a bit of mercy," she explained. "You and he are friends, so we were terrified that you'd throw the match just to let him win because you're so close."

"Of course not! I'm a Slytherin! Why the hell would I do that?" Nyx blurted.

Pansy laughed awkwardly. "That's what we hoped. After we all saw you screwing around with the Beaters, we hoped what we thought was wrong. And then when you caught the snitch like that, so _quickly_…By then we knew you were at least loyal enough to your own house to win for us. But I was one of the few people that saw the look you gave Potter as we were carrying you off, and now you can't blame us for having complete confidence in you."

Nyx chuckled. The look she gave Harry as he gawked at her was nothing short of "in your face, biotch" – certainly not the look one would give to a good friend.

"So, I'm apologizing for my behavior and everyone else's," Pansy added, finally looking at her. "It's a disgustingly un-Slytherin thing to say, but I hope we can get along better from now on."

The other girl smiled at her and nodded. "Me too. Thanks."

Pansy returned the grin and said, "I'll let you finish up. You better hurry, though; they want their hero back and they might come in here and drag you out if they get too impatient."

Nyx laughed. "Okay, tell them I'll be down in a minute."

She excused herself, and as soon as the door was shut behind her, Nyx added to Jack, "Told you so."

"Well, can you blame me for being skeptical?" he asked. His master was rather annoyed that he'd said that at first because she thought this was going to lead to the "you always lie to me, why don't you trust me, blah blah blah" business, but he added, "I had no idea you were that good of a Seeker."

"Guess I'm just special," she said evasively. "Turn around. I'm gonna change my clothes."

"So you're ditching the Gryffindors, huh?" he continued, facing the wall.

"Yep," Nyx said as she undid the ties on her uniform. "I'm sick of dealing with them and pretending to be their friend. It's not doing me any good anyway, so I really don't care. I'd rather have my own house like me than three Gryffindor morons love me, if you get what I mean."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Jack said, nodding. "How are you going to break it to them?"

"Well, I suppose I could just come right out and say, 'get the hell away from me, I want nothing to do with you, etc.,'" she replied, pulling the shirt off. "Or I could break it off gradually, but since I'm getting so much support, I don't want to…"

"…don't want to _what_, Nyx?" Jack asked when she went silent for a few seconds. He was tempted to turn around and look to see if something was wrong, but that would only get him a slap in the beak.

Nyx didn't answer. All he heard was the rustling of clothes, her trunk opening up, more frantic rummaging, the trunk slamming shut, and then Nyx's voice: "Jack, turn back into a human. Right now."

The raven flapped out of the cage and onto the bed, where he morphed back into his usual form and sat down on the edge. But when he turned his head to look at his master, he whipped it back around, used his hand as a shield for his eyes, and spat through gritted teeth as his face grew warm, _"Would you **please** put a shirt on if you want to talk to me?" _

Nyx ignored him and grabbed him by the shoulders for emphasis. Her tone was frantic and afraid: "Did you or did you not see me wearing my blood ruby when I walked in here?"

Jack finally turned to look at her face, and when he saw how distressed she was, he screwed his eyes up in concentration. "…um…no, I don't remember seeing it. It might have been under your shirt, though."

She turned just as pale as when he told her about Kalixius' body being on display. He didn't mean to, but Jack inadvertently glanced down a little (he was as weak as any other man, after all, when the woman he loved was standing a foot away from him in naught but her skivvies), but all he noticed was that the blood ruby was not there. He assumed that it was a gift from someone she loved, maybe even the man in the stone coffin, and he could understand why she was upset about losing it.

But he had no idea of how very badly she needed it, and how lucky he was to have his headwrap hanging around his neck, covering it up.

Nyx released his shoulders and walked back towards her forgotten Quidditch uniform on the floor, wearing a horrified expression. She dug through the small pile again, and still found no sign of her blood ruby. She cursed under her breath and went back to her trunk; nothing. She even looked under the bed, but the only thing down there was a very cranky 10-foot-long basilisk who was trying to sleep.

"SHIT!" Nyx yelled before turning and running towards the door.

"**_Put some clothes on!"_** Jack hollered at her.

She stopped abruptly, ran back to her trunk, threw on a NIN t-shirt and some pants, grabbed some shoes, and tore out of the room, yelling after her, "I'll be back when I can!"

She sprinted through the crowd, ignoring the greetings and cheers people gave her, and headed for the portrait hole. She nearly crashed into Pansy, who slowed her down long enough to ask, "Where are you going?"

"I lost something, and I need to go find it **_now_**," she said breathlessly as she passed her.

"Oh. Well, if you see Draco on your way, tell him to get his blonde arse down here! He's missing all the fun!"

Nyx pretty much ignored her. She was too busy trying not to look at people's throats in case she lost control and sank her teeth into one of them. Because of that, she knew she couldn't go look for it alone, and there was only one person to turn to.

"Sev! I lost it!" she shouted at him as she burst into his office.

He looked up from the book he was perusing and gave her a wary glance. "Lost what? Your sanity? If so, please leave. I'm not ready to die yet."

"Shut the hell up and listen!" she snapped. "The blood ruby's gone!"

Snape's eyes widened in alarm. "When did you last see it?"

"Right before the match started, I checked to make sure it was safe and sound around my neck, but just now I realized it was gone," Nyx said quickly. "It must have fallen off during the match. I don't know how it could have come off without my noticing, but-"

"Well, then, why aren't you looking for it right now instead of telling me?" he asked a bit harshly.

"Because if I go nuts and try to eat someone, _you_ can stop me," she replied matter-of-factly. "By the way, do you have any spare blood around? I'm starved."

"You should be able to last a little while," he said. "Don't you only need to drink once a day?"

"Yeah, but I haven't had a drop since _Thursday_," Nyx whined like a little kid.

"You _fool!_ Why were you starving yourself like that?" Snape demanded, jumping out of his chair. He was amazed that she hadn't already torn into someone, even with the blood ruby on; he couldn't stand it if he had to wait an extra hour, let alone two whole days.

"Well, you know how after you have your fill of blood, you feel really sluggish and 20 pounds heavier?"

"Yes, so what's your point?"

"If I have to be flying around at high speeds, feeling sluggish and 20 pounds heavier isn't going to help my performance. I didn't drink any blood for a few days in order to decrease my weight and give me extra incentive to find the snitch quickly – so I could go have a nice cold cup of AB positive afterwards."

"…you're a moron. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just give me something to drink before I bite you."

"I'll say it again; _you're a moron_. I only keep B negative here! I have no room for anything but my own personal preference!"

"DAMN YOU, SEVERUS!"

"Don't blame me! You said yourself that 'blood type preferences are inherent and there's nothing you can do to change them'!"

Nyx held her head in her hands and slumped against the cool dungeon wall. "…okay…be calm…be calm…he's not worth killing…he tastes bad…he drinks B negative, so what does that tell you?…" she muttered to herself as a sort of mantra. Soon she looked back up at him and said, "Aright, whatever. What else do you have? Goat's blood, pig's blood, toad's blood…?"

"If I have any you'll just complain about how bad it tastes, so why bother?"

"At least it'll taste better than your stupid B negative."

Snape scowled at her. "All I have is dragon blood, and not very much, but it'll have to do. I was going to restock everything this evening."

"No, no, no," Nyx groaned, shaking her head. "I can't have dragon blood. We'll have to think of something else…"

"What's wrong with dragon blood? I heard it's supposed to taste a bit like firewhisky," he said.

"That's got nothing to do with it," she replied. "Remember the dragons I have back home? Well, part of the deal I made with them was that I would never, _ever_, **_ever_**, under **_any_** circumstance, consume any part of a dragon. In return, they would only eat the people I gave them permission to. If I drink that blood, they will be **_very_** pissed off at me, and not even _I_ like handling angry dragons."

"But this is an emergency!" Snape blurted. "And why the hell are you doing what they told you to anyway? It's not like you wouldn't lie about drinking dragon blood. You lie about much bigger things on a daily basis."

"Not even I can lie my way out of this," Nyx said. "Dragons have a way of knowing when someone or something has been munching on their kin, and since dragons are always the predators, they get very put out when they become the prey. That's why you never see any cannibal dragons; their fellow dragons kill them off right away."

"Oh," Snape muttered. "So…what are we supposed to do now?"

"Get the blood ruby back, obviously."

"No shit, Nyx. I was referring to your cravings."

"Hmm…" She stood there thinking for a while. "…I can't concentrate right now. I need to bite something."

Snape handed her a pencil he didn't intend to use.

Nyx started gnawing on it. And then it broke in half and she got a splinter in her lip. She was not pleased.

So Snape conjured up a doggy bone.

Nyx started gnawing on that, too, but she was soon cranky again.

"This isn't helping," she mumbled. "I can't sink my teeth into a bone."

Snape handed her a grapefruit.

Nyx bit into it and juice seeped out of the holes. She sighed and collapsed onto the floor, sucking on the fruit peacefully, imagining it was someone's neck.

"Enjoy yourself," Snape said, smirking as wandering over to the door. "I'll be back shortly. I just got an idea."

"Mmmkay," Nyx replied, sounding very drunk.

About five minutes passed until he returned, followed by none other than Harry, Hermione and Ron. As soon as they saw Nyx, they cringed and backed up a little. Harry and Ron shot her particularly nasty looks because of her performance as Seeker not too long ago. Snape handed Nyx a new grapefruit as he made his way to his desk and sat down on the edge.

"As I was saying," he said to the three Gryffindors. "You three are the only ones we can ask for help at the moment. The blood ruby should be somewhere around the Quidditch field or in the stands. If it's not there, someone must have found it, in which case all we'll need to do it let Nyx go find it for herself and punish the thief as she sees fit."

"Um, professor?" Hermione interrupted. "Why can't you just use '_accio_' to get it back? Wouldn't that be a lot simpler?"

"No, because Nyx placed a counter-spell on the ruby that makes '_accio_' totally ineffective," Snape explained, giving her a glance. "She didn't want someone to be able to take it off her and risk killing someone she didn't intend to. However, I _will _admit her evident lack of foresight because of the situation at hand."

Nyx hissed at him.

"Any other questions?" Snape added in a bored tone.

"Is she going to go after any of us?" Ron asked in a slightly higher voice than usual, pointing at the girl sucking on the grapefruit.

"One would hope not," he said bluntly.

"Nice knowing you, Harry," the redhead muttered, shaking his friend's hand.

In a matter of minutes, the group had successfully snuck out to the Quidditch pitch – the last thing they needed was for someone to ask where they were going, so they had to avoid people at all costs – and kept Nyx well under control. But the grapefruit was beginning to lose its effectiveness, and she told them so.

"Can't I just pick off a little first year?"

"No," Snape said.

"Oh, come on! A Hufflepuff, then? No one'll miss them!"

"No."

"How about Mrs. Norris? Nobody likes her anyway."

"Drop it, Nyx."

She glowered at him and continued nibbling on the grapefruit as the others decided how to split up in order to make the search go quicker. Harry volunteered to scour the field, so Ron and Hermione took the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw sections. Snape dragged Nyx off into their own section and Hufflepuff's, despite her valiant efforts to remain rooted to the spot.

"Will you quit acting like such a child?" he scolded her as they wandered through the rows.

"I'm just in a bad mood. You know it'll pass sooner or later," she replied listlessly, kicking a discarded flag out of the way.

"Preferably sooner," Snape muttered. "You need to learn how to get over your problems and quit blaming your misery on the rest of the world."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Nyx said sharply.

"Oh, I most certainly do," he retorted. "I know exactly why having SMS is such torture because I have it myself now. It's not everyone else's fault that you wish you were dead, so stop making them suffer for it."

With a sudden flurry of movement, Nyx hurled the shriveled grapefruit across the field and beyond the seats on the opposite side. Through gritted teeth, she said, "I'm going to look near the lower levels."

Snape watched with slight disdain as she leapt down a few rows until she was as close to the grassy pitch as she could be. There was something _definitely_ wrong with her lately; her emotions had always been a little imbalanced, but this was just ridiculous. She was switching from joyful to furious to malicious to depressed to bratty to apathetic like it was nobody's business. Her bad side hadn't come through so clearly in a long while, either. Could one event really trigger such a drastic change?

Snape knew the whole business about Kalixius, so he understood why she was in such bad shape after that. Yet Nyx wasn't the type to let one thing ruin her life…unless it involved her first love, of course. She told him how she acted after his death; that was the first time she tried to kill herself and discovered it couldn't be done. If she were ready to end her life after his death, why wouldn't she be just as badly affected by the news that she couldn't resurrect him?

He only hoped that, if there was a reason behind her sudden change in attitude, it was because of Kalixius and not something worse.

Snape was jerked out of his musings when he noticed that Nyx had slowed to a halt. She was looking down at the grass below with interest, and he wondered if she had seen her blood ruby. But he knew that she would not climb up onto the ledge and prepare to pounce on a necklace, so he leapt down to her level and wrapped an arm around her neck and used the other to pin her arm against her side, just in time to stop her from attacking an unsuspecting Harry below.

Nyx struggled violently to escape Snape's hold, but he knew that they were both screwed if she attacked anyone, so he held on diligently. Her thirst for blood had overcome her, and she was too blinded by it to realize who was restraining her or whom she almost killed. When he saw an opening, Snape released her arm and started tickling her to get her to snap out of it. Thankfully, it worked like a charm; the girl started giggling and trying to swat him away much more gently.

When she calmed down, the first thing Nyx saw when she opened her eyes was Harry staring up at her, looking very afraid. She then turned and saw Snape, who looked a little worn out, and it dawned on her. She slapped herself in the forehead and groaned, "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

Harry didn't know what to say, so he just continued with his search, glancing over his shoulder every now and then just in case. He wisely realized that keeping his mouth shut was the best idea right now. His fellow Gryffindors didn't seem to have noticed the scuffle because they were apparently having an argument of their own over who knows what.

While everyone else was looking elsewhere, Nyx decided it was a fine time to make herself scarce. "I've had enough of this. I need to go eat a squirrel or something," she said to Snape as she started crawling back up the rows.

He merely nodded and let her go, even though he was a little nervous about leaving her unsupervised. But he hoped that she would find something to quench her thirst for now; he didn't want to risk another attack.

Snape fumbled with the small blood ruby tied to his wrist. He wished desperately that he could let her borrow it for just a little while, just long enough for her to get a grip, but he knew he couldn't. Now that the Golden Trio knew Nyx's ruby was lost, it would seen very suspicious if she randomly "found" a spare lying around. Snape couldn't say it was his; that would let them know that he had SMS, too, and that was unacceptable. Plus, because of his total lack of experience with intense blood cravings, he would be _much_ more out-of-control without the blood ruby than she was.

As Nyx hopped over the back of the stands and landed on the lawn below a few seconds later with a soft thump, her friend felt an ominous chill race up his spine. He almost ran after her, but he recalled how much seniority she had over him, and how foolish it would be to baby-sit someone so much older than yourself. After all, Nyx could take care of herself. She'd been doing it all her life anyway, so why should it be any different now?

Mere minutes after it's owner vanished from sight, Ron let out a triumphant shout that the blood ruby had been found – ironically, right near where Hermione had been during the match. Snape felt like a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders as he rushed over to take it from the student.

"Finally," he sighed as the necklace dropped into his open hand. "Now all that's left to do is get it back around Nyx's neck, even if I have to strangle her with it, so she doesn't kill some-"

Snape's voice failed him when a bloodcurdling scream pierced the air like a knife. It was cut short with a faint choking gasp, and two more, different shrieks followed in the silence. The sounds were coming from the Forbidden Forest. The same place Nyx had just gone to get a snack.

The three Gryffindors turned white as they turned to face their DADA professor, and when they saw the look on his face, they knew that he knew exactly what had happened. In a panic, he turned and sprinted towards the exit, and they followed all the way out to the lawn.

Snape slowed down and shouted behind him, "Get back in the school **_now_**!"

"What happened? What was that scream?" Harry yelled back.

"It doesn't concern you! Do as I said or I'm taking 100 points from each of you!"

"Was that Nyx?" Hermione asked, breathless form running. "Is she hurt?"

"Nyx is never the one _being_ hurt, Miss Granger!" Snape snapped. He almost stopped again when another wail of terror came form the trees. "I don't have time for this! Do what you want!" he added to the students. "But I will **_not_** be held responsible if you get killed!"

He turned and tore off into the forest, followed by the Gryffindors who were too curious for their own good. In seconds, they saw their teacher frozen at the edge of an area where the trees were sparse, and where there wasn't enough light for the grass to grow, leaving the earth a bare, dull brown.

Huddled against the roots of an old oak were Draco Malfoy and his Aunt Bellatrix, shaking and staring in horror at something in the middle of the clearing, about 10 feet away from them.

The corpse of Narcissa Malfoy lay spread-eagle on the ground, staring up at the blue sky with gray, lifeless eyes, her wand just out of the reach of her hand. A dark shape was hunched over her, making a disgusting slurping, sucking noise. When it turned its head up to peer at the newcomers through a long veil of messy black hair, they saw that it was Nyx. Her eyes were the same red as the blood drenching her face and shirt, and dripping off her fully extended fangs back into the gorge she left in the woman's throat.

--- to be continued in Chapter 32 : (to be decided) ---

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (With exception of Nyx, Jack, Louis, SMS, and anyone/anything else I forgot.) 

**A/N: **OH SNAP! I'm really having fun with these curve balls. They make me smile. -smiles- See? And they'll keep coming, too, so don't worry about being bored or anything. (This is what I was referring to when I said "it'll be a while before the chapters where you learn about Nyx's past, but you'll have plenty to keep you occupied between now and then.")

Kudos to my lovely beta, Tiff.

**General Notes: **The reasons that the "Grand General" and "Master of Communications" are pointless jobs will be covered later, but some of you might be able to figure part of it out now. -wink, wink, nudge, nudge-

Nyx is such a bad sport. It's probably because I hate organized team sports, and I suck royally at them, so I make Nyx really good at it to make myself feel better. -is so pathetic- But anyway, to her Quidditch is just something she does for a cheap thrill, like playing "Chicken" on railroad tracks. (For those who don't know how you play "Chicken," all you do it hang around some railroad tracks until a train comes by. Someone stands on the tracks in front of the oncoming train, and when they get too scared, they jump out of the way. I suppose that's why it's called "Chicken," but whatever.)

Yes, Shannon, I know I'm a cruel, heartless bitch for suggesting that Nyx wants to kill a poor, innocent, fluffy squirrel. Deal with it. (Shannon has a squirrel fetish. XD) (...and she is definitely gonna kill me for writing that.)

This chapter is the official beginning of the 2nd phase of the story, when everything starts falling apart for Nyx. It'll end after all the flashbacks and explaining-of-Nyx's-past is done, and then the 3rd and final phase will start, which is the REAL end, when the whole world goes to hell in a handbasket. More on this later.

**Preview: **What in the world were Draco, Bellatrix and Narcissa doing in the forest? Will Nyx have to answer for her actions, or will she get away with it as usual? Find out next time...

**Final Words:** I need more Anniversary pic suggestions! I only got, like, 2! That's pathetic! (That's not to say that the 2 suggestions I got were crap, but I want to see if anyone has any ideas that'll make me want to draw it _immediately_. So far, I could do both of those suggestions a few ways, and to be honest, I'm not that pleased with any of them.) Seriously, I'm willing to consider anything you offer! So no matter how stupid you think it is, tell me anyway! Even if I don't use your exact idea, it might inspire me to do something else, and I'll still give you credit for the original idea. PLEEEEAASE!

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**---** **k**avi - **s**ama **---**


	32. Chapter 32: Five Minutes

_Please reread the end of Chapter 31 (or skim over the rest just to refresh your memory) if you forgot what happened. Otherwise, you will probably be really confused for a while, and that would be sad. - kavi_

Chapter 32 : Five Minutes

Narcissa Malfoy's blood dripped slow and thick from Nyx's fangs as she hovered over the woman's corpse. She stared at the four that had interrupted her meal, licking her reddened lips. All her eyes saw, blinded by her thirst for blood, were three potential targets and a potential rival over those targets. A quick sniff of the air told her that those potential targets weren't worth her time; an A positive, O positive, and B negative. None of those sounded very appetizing when she already had an adult body full of glorious AB positive dead at her feet.

Snape half-turned to Harry, Hermione and Ron and hissed, "**_This_** is why I told you to get back to the school. Don't make any sudden movements or she might attack you….And don't expect me to sacrifice myself to save you, because I won't."

He knew what their blood types were as well; any respectable vampiric creature had to be able to tell what they were going to get from their prey so that they didn't waste their time and energy going after something gross. He knew that Nyx didn't really care for any of their blood types, but he recognized the dangerous look in her eyes, and if she thought that they were going to interfere with her meal, she would probably kill them just to get them out of the way. Even if she had some control over herself at this point, Snape knew how Nyx would not hesitate to eliminate the Gryffindors for her own convenience…

"What do we do now?" Hermione asked in a small voice, hiding behind Ron a little.

"I need to get this blood ruby around her neck before she gets worse," her teacher replied, fidgeting with the chain in one hand.

"What?" Harry yelped. "Are you completely cracked? She'll rip you apart!"

"I doubt that," Snape said as he pulled his wand out of his pocket. He eyed Nyx carefully; he would only have one shot at this. If he missed, it would only provoke her even more, and god only knows who she'd let her anger out on this time.

As he took aim, Harry pressed, "What are you thinking? Spells don't work on her!"

"_This_ spell will," he said calmly. "If I miss, get ready to run. **_Fast_**."

The trio stared at him, wishing they hadn't come here at all. The risk of death was **_not_** worth having their curiosity satisfied.

Nyx crouched further down to lap at the blood again, not caring that she was getting it all over her clothes, hands, and face. Until she felt like she would burst, she was not going to stop drinking. That was usually what she felt like doing after she starved herself for more than a day. All that was going through her mind at the moment was how good that sweet, sweet AB positive tasted, and how dead the stupid, stupid fool who interrupted her meal was going to be.

Seeing his chance, Snape pointed his wand at her bowed head and whispered so that not a soul overheard him, "_Lija Yaz_."

A beam of pale, blueish light shot out of the tip of his wand like a laser, straight at its dark-haired target. But the second before it struck, Nyx sprang off the ground into a back flip, and landed on the tree behind her, defying gravity as she perched on the trunk. The spell struck the wood below her harmlessly, and Snape felt a strong urge to tear his hair out.

Nyx emitted a low growl, and like a wild animal, leapt off the tree and landed on the forest floor, immediately breaking into a crazed sprint at the unlucky DADA professor that pissed her off.

Snape cursed his foul luck and Nyx's quick reflexes. He knew there was nothing left to do now but fight her off hand-to-hand. Everyone there was bound to find out he had SMS, too, but it was a small price to pay for preventing another casualty. After all, the onlookers would have the common sense not to reveal this to anyone else once he and Nyx were both threatening them at the same time.

Harry, who was standing directly next to Snape, instantly feared for his life. What if she was going to attack _him_? Snape certainly wouldn't help him if she did. In a panic, Harry whipped out his wand and yelled the first spell that came to his mind. By the cruelty of Fate, it happened to be, "_Lija Yaz!_"

The blue beam found its mark this time; it hit Nyx squarely in the chest as she closed the distance between them. Her eyes widened in surprise, and then drooped and fell out of focus. It was as if a slow-motion spell was taking effect on her; her sprint turned into a fast walk, and then a slow plod, and then as she staggered, she fell to the ground and didn't get up. In fact, she didn't move at all.

Harry gaped. _…D-did I just **kill** her? _Part of him knew that was impossible and scolded him for forgetting it, but for all he could tell, she looked pretty dead.

Snape stared at Harry in shock. He turned to Nyx's fallen body, and then back to the student. "Potter," Snape demanded. "What was that spell you just used?"

"What?" he asked, spinning around to look at him. "Uh, I'm not sure…I just used the first spell I could think of."

"Was it, perhaps, '_Lija yaz'_?"

"Oh, yeah! It was! …wait, how did _you_ know that?"

"And where, pray tell, did you learn that spell, Mr. Potter?" Snape pressed, staring at him coldly. Harry wasn't sure if he was angry or not, but he felt a weird chill when the teacher added silkily, "A _textbook_, perhaps?"

"U-uh…well, y-you see…" he stammered. _He knows…He knows, and that means I'm **dead**… _"Er, I-I sort of…um…"

Snape gave a loud sigh and snapped, "Page 113, Mr. Potter. I am _not_ mistaken."

"P-page what?" Harry peeped.

"Your potions book. That spell was written in the lower left-hand corner of page 113, right next to step five in the directions for how to brew the antidote for acromantula venom. Am I or am I not correct, Mr. Potter?" he continued, getting very aggravated at Harry's thick skull.

"Uh…uh…" he mumbled. He glanced back at Hermione and Ron, and all they gave him were apologetic 'there's nothing we can do' looks. "…y-yes, professor."

"You should have just said so, rather than waste everyone's time like that," Snape spat. "While we're on the subject, the reason I know this is because that was _my_ potions book when I was your age, and _she_ –" he jabbed a pale finger at Nyx "- wrote that spell in there herself. I _watched _her do it."

"B-but is she all right?" Hermione asked nervously, diverting the professor's aggravation for the moment.

Snape slapped himself in the forehead and stalked over to the girl's collapsed form. He grabbed her by one arm and pulled her up unceremoniously into a vaguely standing position, saying with biting nastiness, "I think she's _quite_ well, don't you?"

Now that they could see her face, they could see a small grin plastered across it, and that her eyes were closed. Nyx was sound asleep.

Hermione's look of concern fell into a disgusted frown, partly because she had actually bothered to care, and partly because Nyx's grin looked very eerie when she was covered in blood. "You must be _joking_!"

"I do not joke, Miss Granger," Snape said as he fastened the blood ruby around Nyx's neck as tightly as possible, and then released her arm, letting her fall back to the ground with a thud. "You three are to take dear, sleepy _Miss Harthcrow_ to my office right this bloody minute. If I hear a single complaint from any of you, I'll tell her that all of you conspired to steal her blood ruby and therefore, this is _all your fault_. And that, I promise, would be oh so very unpleasant for each of you. Do I make myself perfectly bloody clear?"

"Yes, professor," the Gryffindors said quickly. They scurried over to Nyx's limp body and pulled her arms around Harry and Ron's shoulders for support, and began trudging back to the castle, with Hermione bringing up Nyx's feet as well as the rear. They would have levitated her to save time, but, as Harry said, most spells do not work on her. Rather than wasting time trying to float her back to the castle and possibly incur Snape's wrath even more, they decided to just do it manually.

Once they were well out of earshot and a short distance from a less-popular entrance, Ron growled to his companions, "What the bloody hell did we do to deserve this? First we had the single most humiliating defeat in the history of Quidditch, then we had to find the damned ruby when we had nothing to do with anything, and then we almost get eaten alive by Miss Monster here –" he jostled Nyx a little "- and now we have to drag her freaky, bloodthirsty arse all the way to that greasy git's office. Could this day _possibly_ get any worse?"

"Probably," Harry replied listlessly.

"Look at it this way," Hermione said as she dropped Nyx's feet to open the door, and then close it behind them. "At least the only person she killed was a Death Eater, and Malfoy's mum to boot."

"Yeah, but that's the **_only_** good thing," Ron retorted, steering the group towards the most deserted hall in the school with the hope that they wouldn't run into anyone and have to explain themselves and Nyx. This was unlikely anyway since the Slytherins were the only ones who ever really needed to use the area, and they were surely still celebrating their Quidditch victory in the safety of the dungeons.

"Maybe not," Harry said quietly.

The other two looked at him like his face had morphed into a halibut. "Why wouldn't that be good?" the girl asked in honest confusion.

"Even if your mum's a Death Eater, she's still your mum, and most people like to keep their mum around as long as possible," he replied, staring straight ahead as he walked. "Malfoy'll probably go off his rocker after this. His dad was in Azkaban and might not have survived Black Monday, he's probably a Death Eater himself by now, and he just watched his mum get her throat ripped open. Compared to him, I'd say we've had a jolly good day."

Hermione and Ron looked off to the walls in embarrassment. They couldn't _possibly_ argue with that. Their attention was drawn back to the unconscious girl they were toting around as she started coming to.

"…mmmurf…wanna ride the pony…" Nyx murmured drowsily. "…nuh-uh…pretty horsie…AB positive…moo says "cow"…cooooow, I'm a moo…potato potato potato…OH MY GOD, IT'S GONNA EAT ME!"

And with a scream that could wake the dead, Nyx started thrashing around violently until the Gryffindors released her. The moment her body hit the stone floor, she curled into the fetal position and began rolling around, moaning about "the Evil Cannibal Vegetables from Hell." The trio stared for a little while until the novelty wore off.

"Oy, Nyx," Ron said loudly, kicking her as she rolled by. "Time to wake up."

"CTHULHU DEMANDS A SACRIFICE!" Nyx shrieked as she kicked out her legs and became rigid as a board. "And we choose _YOUUUUUU_!" she howled, pointing a long finger up at Ron, who was becoming increasingly disturbed.

Suddenly, Nyx sat straight up, blinked several times, looked at her ex-friends, and said very matter-of-factly, "I've had the strangest dream."

"No shit," the redhead snapped. "Snape ordered us to take you to his office to wait for him, so come on." He started stalking off towards the dungeons, followed by Harry, but Hermione stayed behind.

"Uh…Nyx?" the boys heard her say. "The dungeon is the other way."

Nyx, who was trotting off in the direction they just came from, spun around and gave her an annoyed look. "I know that, you simpleton, and I'm _not_ going to the dungeons, no matter what dear old Snivelly said."

"Well, then, where the hell _are_ you going?" Ron yelled after her, hoping that they wouldn't get blamed for letting her wander off.

"I need to go take a look at my handiwork," she replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

The Gryffindors stared in increasing disgust.

Nyx misinterpreted that disgust as confusion, so she stopped and explained; "I taste blood in my mouth; I smell blood on my clothes; I see blood all over me; I can't seem to recall much of the past…well, however long it's been; none of you seem to want to come too close to me; this blood ruby is on awfully bloody tight; I just had an **_exceptionally_** trippy dream; and Sevvy-poo is nowhere to be found. Therefore, I assume I've killed someone."

"Uh…pretty much, yeah," Harry said, quite unsettled by how this seemed to be a perfectly normal experience for her.

"Oh goody, I was right! Who was it? _Who was it?"_ the Slytherin asked, bouncing on her toes. "Was it someone I'll be proud of eating? Or someone I'll regret eating? Since I don't remember a thing once the vampire side of me takes over, it's like a game every time I wake up – Who Did I Kill This Time? I hope it was someone surprising…that's the _most_ fun."

The 6th-years gaped in horror and repulsion.

"…What? Didn't you see who I killed?" Nyx asked, totally oblivious to how mentally disturbing that was, especially when she was so excited about it.

"Yes, Nyx, we _saw_," Harry replied, cringing at the memory.

"Much more than we _ever_ needed to, in fact," Hermione added weakly.

"Then _who was it?"_ Nyx begged, jumping up and down a little, just like the mental 4-year-old she was.

A sudden bang startled the group, followed by a crash, and a shout of, "No! _Stop!" _In a moment, a blonde, pale figure charged around the corner like a crazed bull. As soon as it's eyes caught sight of Nyx's unguarded back, it charged.

"**_MURDERER!"_** Draco screamed as he tackled her to the ground, throwing punches and kicks at every part of the girl he could see.

"Draco, _NO!"_ Snape yelled as he rounded the corner and saw that he was too late. He tried to stop the boy from attacking Nyx immediately since Draco might have been committing suicide by doing so.

Bellatrix Lestrange tottered into view soon after him, but unlike Draco who was in full battle mode, she still seemed to be too shocked at witnessing her sister's death to want revenge. And even if she did want to attack Nyx, in her current state, it wouldn't do her much good; she was pale as death, dazed, and quivering uncontrollably.

In an instant, Snape had grabbed Draco by the collar and tossed him backwards, sending him a good 7 feet away - well out of Nyx's reach in case she decided to retaliate. She was, unexpectedly, curled up in a ball on the floor, and seemed to be nursing an injury on her hand.

When Snape saw this, he rolled his eyes and spat heartlessly, "Oh, grow up! That boy couldn't even break a sweat if he tried! There's no way he did any noticeable damage to _you_."

"…it wasn't _his_ doing," Nyx replied with some difficulty. She was actually grimacing from the pain, and when she held up her arm, it became obvious why; there was nothing left of it except for a charred, cigarette-like stump just below her elbow. "..it was his _mother's_."

Harry's eyes widened at her arm. "That looks exactly like what happened to Professor Quirrel when he touched me…"

"Because your mother sacrificed her life to save yours, you mean?" Hermione asked as she slowly understood what must have happened.

"Nyx…do you remember what happened now?" Snape asked her in a low voice as he stared at the ashen stump.

"I think so, but only up to a certain point. Having my arm dissolved seems to have jarred my memory," she replied, staring at Draco, who glared back with burning hatred. "I remember walking around in the forest, looking for something to eat, when I heard voices not too far away. I followed them, and found those three in a small clearing in the trees. After that, everything's blank, but I think I can fill it in pretty accurately. I must have sensed that Draco has AB positive blood, so I probably went for him first, since he's weak and wouldn't put up a fight.

"His mother must have thrown herself in the way to protect him, and since she had AB positive as well, I probably just took what came to me. Reminds me of those crazy fish that jump out of the water and into the fishermen's boats, if you ask me. But it explains why when Drakie-poo over there touched my arm, it turned to dust, and why he's so put out at the moment." Nyx rose to her feet and added, "I'm a bit annoyed that that stupid "mother's love" spell applies even to me, but I'll get over it." Passing her remaining hand over her missing arm, Nyx forced it to grow back very quickly, smirking at the look of alarm that passed over Draco's face.

As she flexed her regenerated fingers menacingly, Snape said, looking at Draco, "Well, now that we know what happened – assuming that Nyx was correct since no one interrupted to tell her she was mistaken – I simply have to ask; what the _blazes _were you, your mother, and your aunt doing in the middle of the forest in the first place?" He threw a glance to Bellatrix to tell her that she could answer, too, if she liked, but she was too busy slumping against the wall, looking depressed.

Draco continued shooting a death glare at Nyx all the while, even as he replied in a shaking voice, "They came here to tell me that I don't have to continue my mission."

The three Gryffindor's ears perked up at the mention of a "mission," which refueled their suspicions of Draco being a Death Eater.

"M-Mum said that he found someone else to do it," the blonde continued, looking as if he was about to cry or scream, or lash out at Nyx again. "He said that the other person could do it single-handedly, and it was too much for me to do by myself when I've never done anything like this before in my life, and if I fouled it up he'd kill me, and apparently this other person is going to do it absolutely perfectly, and compared to them I'm as useful as a dirty dishrag and – "

"Draco," Snape said suddenly, cutting him off before he went on a pointless, self-pitying tangent. "Did your mother say who this new person was, or why there was such a sudden change in plans?"

"Wait a minute, _you're_ in on this too?" Ron blurted, becoming more and more alarmed by the minute.

"Silence, Weasley!" the professor snarled. "This doesn't concern you!"

"Who's this 'he' Malfoy's talking about?" Hermione asked urgently.

"Did you not hear what I just said?" Snape replied, rounding on her angrily.

"It's Voldemort, isn't it?" Harry the Bold said loudly. "Because Malfoy's a Death Eater, isn't he?"

"How the hell should I know?" he yelled.

"Because you're one yourself!" Harry yelled back.

Snape's face began to contort as he lost his temper, until Nyx snickered and drew his rage upon herself. "What. The devil. Are. You. _Laughing_ at?" he growled though clenched teeth.

"Oh, nothing," she replied nonchalantly as she braided a lock of her hair. "AB positive just puts me in a particularly good mood, especially when I get so much of it with so little effort."

"You fucking **_monster_**!" Draco bellowed, flying at her again, this time with his wand drawn.

Nyx merely raised her hand and the boy froze in mid-leap. She smirked again and said tauntingly, "Now, now, that wasn't very nice…or smart. Calling me names is one thing, but raising a wand against me? Silly boy. I was sure your mother had raised you better than that. Though, considering the circumstances, I guess she's not going to get a second shot at you, now is she?"

"If there were words to describe what a disgusting, heartless, worthless piece of shit you are, they'd be so offensive that you'd be arrested for even thinking them," Draco spat, with much more control than anyone gave him credit for.

Nyx rolled her eyes. "You idiot. You're acting as if I _planned_ to kill your mother. Well, since you can't seem to figure it out on your own, **_I didn't_**. The fact that I killed any humans at all today was pure coincidence. I was hoping to find a squirrel, not a Narcissa Malfoy. Hell, I wasn't even hoping for a Draco either. But you three were the first living things I saw (probably because everything else runs away at my presence), and you and your mother both have my favorite blood type running through your veins. The point is that I couldn't have planned this if I tried, and even if I wanted to kill you or your mother, I wouldn't have left any proof that I did it – meaning, I would eliminate all witnesses, and at the moment, I have no particular desire to kill everyone here. Of course, there _are_ some people I wouldn't exactly miss…but that's beside the point."

Draco just kept glaring at her as he remained floating off the ground.

"You're _still_ not convinced?" Nyx asked incredulously. "Alright then, give me one good reason why I would want to harm you, your mother, or anyone else in your family, or even anyone else you know."

Draco didn't answer.

"See? You can't even make something up," she said, grinning in spite of herself.

"Whether or not you had a reason to murder my mother, it doesn't change the fact that you're a monster," he said icily.

"'Monster' _again_?" Nyx sighed. "Look, if you want to actually insult me, you're going to have to come up with something a little more creative than 'monster.' I've already heard that one ten thousand times."

"Even if I call you something else, you're still a monster," Draco replied bitterly.

Nyx's eye twitched. "…you are boring the hell out of me. And I don't like being bored." At that, she lowered her hand and let the blonde drop to the floor. She then turned in the direction of the Slytherin dorms and started walking away, calling over her shoulder, "If anyone else has a complaint, I'll be available next year. Until then, I'll be asleep, and I get very cranky when you wake me up for something I deem unimportant. So don't bother me for any reason whatsoever."

"Then I hope you never wake up!" Draco shouted at her back, finally losing it. "Someone like you doesn't deserve to live!"

"Aright, Draco, that's enough," Snape said quickly, knowing exactly what he was going to say next, and how bad the consequences would be.

"No, it's not enough!" he yelled at the professor. "**_She never should have been born!_**"

_SNAP._

A sickening crack resounded through the hall as Nyx whirled around and backhanded Draco across the face. He flew ten feet to the side until he smashed into the wall and fell to the floor like a broken doll. Everyone's eyes locked onto his body, fearing that she had killed him because he wasn't moving.

This was exactly what Snape knew would happen. If Draco was dead, he could say nothing except "he asked for it." Even though the boy didn't know about her SMS (but must have suspected that she was at least a vampire), he certainly knew how dangerous she was. Why didn't he realize that provoking her would get him killed?

Nyx remained standing in the same spot as when her hand connected with his face, staring down at the boy, eyes burning with rage. That hand had since turned to ashes, but she either didn't notice or she didn't care. Taking a few long strides over to his fallen form, Nyx grabbed the front of Draco's shirt, used it to protect her remaining hand, lifted him up by the throat, and held him at eye level against the wall.

It was then that everyone saw that Draco was alive; terrified, stunned, and in incredible pain, but alive. They also saw that his cheek and jaw where Nyx had struck him looked terribly disfigured. None of them, save for Snape, knew that she could wield the kind of force that completely shattered part of someone's skull.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Nyx hissed in a deadly, low voice. "If I _really_ hate someone, I always make them suffer before I kill them. Are you suffering?"

A faint noise from Draco was taken as a "yes."

"Good. If I wanted to kill you, I'd do it now. However, considering the circumstances, my mouth would dissolve long before I could finish drinking from you, and it would be a terrible waste of AB positive to kill you any other way, so you'll live – for now. But before I let you go on your merry old way, I want to ask you something…

"Are you afraid of me?"

"…y…yes…"

Nyx laughed. "Not nearly enough, it seems. To help you correct this problem, I would be most appreciative if you would never forget this fact; if I hadn't controlled myself just now, your head would have flown off your neck."

Nyx released him and Draco fell to the ground again in a heap. As she went back towards the dorms again, she said in a horribly happy tone, "No one is to assist Mr. Malfoy in the healing of his injuries. I broke his face, not his wand or his hands. And if he would rather go to the Hospital Wing, he can get there just fine on his own. I broke his face, not his legs or feet. And if I find out that any of you failed to do as I am telling you, you will most certainly regret it. I broke his face, and I can break yours too."

No one spoke as they watched Nyx walk away briskly, and instead of turning a corner, walk straight through a wall to get to the dorms that much quicker. She had been out of sight for nearly a minute before any sound besides Draco's quiet, shuddering sobs broke the silence.

Snape turned to face the three Gryffindors fully and said in a deathly serious voice, "You have neither seen nor heard anything at all regarding the death of Narcissa Malfoy. If anyone asks you about it, you know as much as Moaning Myrtle. Any other information you thought you received today does not exist, or is false. Do I make myself clear?"

"Hold on…You expect us to forget everything that's happened today?" Harry asked indignantly.

"It is for your own benefit," he replied.

"How is forgetting all of this 'for our benefit'?" the 6th-year demanded. The memory of seeing Nyx sucking blood out of Narcissa's neck was by no means pleasant, but Harry absolutely would not subject himself to a memory-erasing charm, especially now that he knew a little more about Draco's connection to Voldemort.

"Let me put it to you this way," Snape said coldly. "When the Ministry finds out that a Death Eater has died at the hands of someone with Sang Maudit Syndrome, and that she's a student at Hogwarts no less, they are going to absolutely wet themselves with joy. Firstly, that means that the Dark Lord has one less follower they have to worry about. Secondly, that means that they have one more SM to capture, torture, use as a lab rat, and try to domesticate. Thirdly, that means that they will almost certainly try to prove that Dumbledore is somehow responsible for this, or that he was at least aware of Nyx's problem and failed to notify the Ministry about it, which is a rather serious offense, according to them.

"In short, when they hear what happened today, they will get here as soon as humanly possible with every available Auror and SMS Specialist in the country. Do you _really_ want them to know that you, of all people, are an eyewitness? Do you _really_ want them to somehow tie you into all this and make you out to be an accomplice? Do you _really_ want to receive the death sentence right by Nyx's side?"

"N…no, sir," Harry answered quietly, feeling very stupid.

"That's what I thought," Snape said, feeling very smug. "Now, if there are no more inane questions, you three ought to go somewhere unsuspicious and think up an excuse for your absence this past half-hour. Before this evening, make sure you tell me what the story is so that I can play along with it. You can blame me if you like, but keep it within reason. Above all else, _it must be believable_."

"Can we say that you made us clean your office for talking one too many times during class?" Ron asked hopefully. He would gladly welcome another reason to call Snape a greasy git, even if it was made up.

"Yes, I suppose that would do," he replied, before adding suddenly, "No, wait, I would never keep you for only half-an-hour. Hmm… I've got it! Go somewhere where no one will see you for another half-hour and say that I made you stay for a full hour. That sounds _much_ more like me."

"Yes, professor," they replied grudgingly. _How much more of our Saturday is he going to waste? _

Hermione hung back again as Ron and Harry began towards Gryffindor tower. "Professor?" she asked.

"What _now_?" Snape groaned.

"How much time do you think Ariana- er, Nyx, I mean, will have before the Ministry comes after her?" the bushy-haired girl asked, more curious than concerned for the girl's safety.

"Hopefully enough time for her to come up with one hell of a lie to cover this mess up," he replied, massaging his temple.

"…five minutes…" a weak voice said.

All eyes fell on Bellatrix, still slumping against the wall, but now staring at everyone with her wide, wild eyes.

"'Five minutes'?" Snape asked.

"Five minutes," she repeated. "They'll be here in five minutes."

"Who will be here?" the DADA professor asked again, very confused.

"The Ministry. They'll be here. Five minutes."

Snape raised an eyebrow at her, wondering if witnessing her sister's death had somehow rattled her brain a little too much. "And how would you happen to know this, Bella?"

"I told them to come myself," she said simply. "I told them there was a monster here, and that they needed to come kill it. And they said 'okay.'"

"…do you seriously mean to tell me that you already contacted them?"

"Yes. They said they would be here in five minutes."

"How could you have done it without anyone noticing? And how the hell did you get a reply so fast?"

"I just did."

"…but there's _no_ _way_ you could have! At least not without someone seeing you, or having to wait for a response! When did you contact them?"

"Five minutes ago."

Snape's face fell. "…Bellatrix, are you being completely serious? This isn't a joke?"

"No joke," she said dreamily. "Five minutes…Kill the monster…In five minutes…"

"Severus!" The sudden shout made everyone (except the questionably-sane Bellatrix) jump. Snape turned towards the doorway Nyx exited through to see McGonagall, who looked incredibly flustered, upset and confused. She was so flustered, upset and confused that she didn't even notice the humming Death Eater, half-unconscious Draco, or three Gryffindors staring at her in confusion.

"What's wrong?" Snape asked, staying calm even though Bellatrix's ramblings were making him nervous.

"The Ministry is here!" the Transfiguration teacher gasped, having run through half the school, looking for him. "They demand to see Ariana. Where is she?"

Snape felt his stomach fall until it reached China.

_How can this be happening? How did they find out so quickly? How could that woman have told them **everything **with no one seeing her? How could she know that Nyx has SMS? How could everything get this bad in just **one day**?_

"…the…the Ministry?"

"Yes, they're here to see Ariana."

"He-here? _Now?_"

McGonagall paused to give him a more careful look. "Are you feeling all right, Severus? You don't look at all well."

"…I…uh…" Snape mumbled, desperately trying to decide what to do.

"Maybe you should go lie down for a while. A nice, hot mug of soup might help, too," the witch suggested kindly. "And don't worry about Ariana; I'll go fetch her for you. Where is she?"

"_No!"_ he blurted much more loudly than he meant to. "Er…I mean…No, I'm feeling just wonderful. I'll go get her. Where, uh…Where should I take Ariana once I find her?"

"The Aurors are waiting in Albus' office," she replied. "…are you sure you're feeling well?"

"Oh, I'm fine! Just fantastic!" Snape lied, forcing out a weak laugh. "So you can go back to whatever you were doing now! I can handle it!" _Oh my god we are so SCREWED._

"Well…all right. If you say so," McGonagall said, giving him a suspicious look. Just as she was about to turn around and leave, she stopped and asked innocently, "By the way, Severus, would you happen to know what this is all about? I can't imagine what the Ministry would want with her."

"Nope, I haven't a clue either," Snape said quickly. "Well, I don't want to keep you any longer, so you have a lovely day and don't worry about us!"

McGonagall finally took the hint that she wasn't wanted around any more and left, wondering what happened to Snape to make him behave so peculiarly, and never having noticed the other people in the hall.

Meanwhile, the man himself was going apeshit.

Pointing at the Gryffindors, he half-shouted, "You! You know nothing! Because nothing happened! Now go to your rooms and if you complain even _ONCE_ I'm going to change all of your blood types to AB positive and tell Nyx you all said 'Bite Me' – I don't know how I'll do it, _but I'll think of **something**_!"

Pointing at Bellatrix, he half-shouted, "You! Take him-" he pointed at Draco "- to the Hospital Wing! And if anyone asks what happened, repeat all that 'five minutes' crap you pulled on me until they give up on you!"

"Um…professor?" Hermione asked timidly.

"**_WHAT?"_** Snape roared at her.

"…didn't Nyx say that no one was supposed to help him…?"

"**_I KNOW!_** WHY THE **_HELL_ **DO YOU THINK I'M MAKING HER DO IT? THE WOMAN IS A BASKET CASE AND THE REASON I AM ABOUT TO HAVE A CONNIPTION! I **_HOPE_** NYX KILLS HER!"

"…o…okay…"

"THEN **_GO_**! GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

At this last and rather frightening outburst, Harry, Ron and Hermione scurried away, to Snape's mild satisfaction. Holding his aching head, he turned back to Bellatrix, who simply stared back at him, grinning in a way that reminded him terribly of Nyx.

"What the bloody hell are you _smiling_ at?" he barked.

"_IIIIIIIII toooooooooold yooooouuuuuu soooooooo,"_ she sang, rocking from side to side and giggling.

Snape felt a horrid chill creep up his spine as he watched her. His imagination must have been playing tricks on him…yes, that must have been it. There was no way he just saw Nyx in her place, giving him the same vacant look, rocking from side to side the same way, and giggling in the same deranged tone.

Leaving Bellatrix and Draco to their fates, the DADA professor took off down the hall towards the Slytherin dungeons, running as fast as he could since he had yet to figure out how to go through a wall successfully. If he took too long, the Aurors could get impatient and try to find Nyx on their own. If they ran into her before she knew what was going on…well, Snape was sure that someone would have a _lot_ of explaining to do.

Praying to every deity he could think of, Snape only hoped that Nyx would be able to get herself out of this mess unscathed. If she couldn't, he had that terrible vision to remind him that once the Ministry was through with her, Nyx's sanity would be on the same level as Bellatrix's.

But what really terrified him was the fact that Bella, though completely crazy already, was all but harmless compared to the mostly sane Nyx of today. The Nyx of tomorrow could become a veritable walking apocalypse, created by the Ministry to use against Voldemort.

But like every other powerful SM they tried to tame and mold into the perfect weapon of mass destruction, Nyx would _never_ obey an order from a mortal human, whether she was sane or not – except for one, and _only_ one.

Unfortunately for the rest of the world, once Nyx truly lost her mind, she would ignore even a desperate but undemanding plea of "stop" from that one person, who would become the only thing worth living for, or worth dying for, in her life.

Even if that "stop," whispered through pleading tears by the only voice that could give her an order, was followed by "please don't kill me," she would never hear it.

--- to be continued in Chapter 33 : Poison Ravens ---

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (With exception of Nyx, Jack, SMS, and anyone else I forgot.) 

**A/N: **I know this took a really long time, but if you checked my profile then you probably saw why I couldn't get anything done. Thanks muchly for everyones patience. -bow- I hope it was worth it. (In case you don't know what kept me, I left the message up on my profile, so go read it if you're curious.)

Kudos to my lovely betas, Tiff and Shan.

**General Notes:** In case I didn't mention it before, this is part of the series of events that completely ruins everything for Nyx. From the moment she lost the blood ruby, everything just started spiraling downwards, and Narcissa's death only made it that much worse. With that said, I'll bet some of you (cough cough) can predict what will happen in the next chapter...

If you need a refresher on Lija Yaz or Black Monday because it's been forever since you read the chapter, go back to chapter 17 and you'll hear about both.

For information on what the hell a Cthulhu is...ask the internet. Not me. ...By the way, I included that whole part because I felt like it was high time for some good, old-fashioned senseless random humor. I hope you giggled.

You might be wondering why Draco would be so stupid as to attack Nyx head-on with something as stupid and futile as punches and kicks, but please remember that Draco is not the brightest crayon in the box, and he's not completely with it since he just saw his mum get her throat torn out. (Plus if he used his wand, the 'mother's love spell' wouldn't work.) Not to mention that, like Draco is seeking revenge for his mum, many other people will try to kill Nyx for revenge. And like Draco, thier efforts will be futile and unsuccessful. (Just a little foreshadowing to tease you.)

I can't tell you how long I've been waiting to write the Nyx Backhands Draco Scene, and I'm so happy with how it turned out. -glee- Nyx has a thing for grabbing people by the throat and pinning them up against a wall, doesn't she? ...come to think of it, she has a thing for causing pain in general, so I should stop mentioning this. (Nyx: -muahahahaha-)

Bellatrix is such a freak. But a fun freak to write, so I guess it evens out. (The part about Nyx possibly acting like her some day is worth remembering.) She'll be back with even more hell to raise in a few chapters... In the meantime, please don't ask how she pulled off the "five minutes" thing. That will be explained when the time comes.

The stuff at the end about "the one person Nyx will take an order from" might seem difficult to believe since Nyx is always the one giving the orders and wouldn't seem to like taking them, but once you find out who the person is, it'll make a lot more sense. By the way, it's not that Nyx _chooses_ to do as the person says...she just can't refuse. (Though it remains to be seen whether the person uses thier power over Nyx like a caregiver or a tyrant.)

...by the way, Jack Fangirls, you'll stop being Jack-deprived next chapter because he's in 80 to 90 percent of it. So just hang in there until then. (If I was in your position, I'd be ready to kill me right now, but please don't.)

**Preview: **First let me say this; the title a) will not be changed (unless I have an epiphany and come up with something absolutely _marvelous_) and b) can be very misleading. It means exactly what it says, but probably not in the way you're thinking. Confused? Good. Better if you're caught off-guard for this chapter, I think. And that is all. (I know you hate me, but you'll like it more if you have no idea what to expect.)

**Final Words: **About the Anniversary Pic I planned on doing...that might not happen. I'll try to do some kind of artistical thing soon, but the deadline for that pic is too far gone, and I have no desite to do it anymore anyway. For some reason I really feel like drawing Ripley, so I think I'll try to do a proper pic of him next.

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**---** **k**avi - **s**ama **---**


	33. Chapter 33: Poison Ravens

Chapter 33 : Poison Ravens

Jack paced back and forth across the old, green carpeting of the Slytherin girl's dorm, constantly glancing anxiously towards the door. His headwrap was nowhere to be found – in fact, not even he knew exactly where it was at the moment. His black, hooded cloak was stuffed neatly into the hidden compartment at the bottom of Nyx's trunk, giving her bottles of vodka a nice cushion. He was a bit tired after his long scavenging run last night, but he couldn't have slept if he wanted to. The Slytherins were still partying loudly in the common room, and he doubted that the girls would be leaving the festivities and coming up to the dorm any time soon.

Much more importantly, Nyx hadn't returned yet, and she had been gone way longer than Jack would have liked. He realized that the blood ruby was very important to her and that she would probably stop at nothing to get it back, judging from her reaction when she saw that it was gone. But, knowing her, she would have taken care of this in a matter of minutes, not over half an hour.

As usual, Jack felt uncomfortable not knowing what Nyx was up to, or if she was all right. He had an uneasy feeling that something had gone wrong, causing Nyx's delay, and there was no way he could take a nap until he was sure that his precious master was safe and sound. Jack only hoped that he wouldn't get too worked up over it and accidentally hug her when she came back. Yes, he had re-grown his backbone, but since it had been gone for so long, he sometimes forgot how to control the urge to take a bold risk. Thankfully, he hadn't stepped out of line yet, but some of his thoughts worried him. Maybe Anna was just rubbing off on him and that was why he was seriously considering the "kiss her" idea – not immediately, of course, but soon. Jack wisely realized that it was never too early to plan for something, and especially when it was something as big as attempting to kiss Nyx.

As he crossed the room for the ten-thousandth time, Jack noticed that his legs were starting to weaken. Giving the door one last hopeful look, he decided that he could sit down for a little while. Jack climbed on top of Nyx's bed and pulled the dark green curtains shut so that, in case someone who was not Nyx came in, they wouldn't see him right away. He lay down, closed his eyes, and took a few deep, calming breaths.

_Everything's fine_, he told himself. _She's just taking her time…Nothing wrong with that at all…It pisses me off that she makes me worry like this, but that's okay…I can deal with it as long as she's okay…_

Just as he finally settled his nerves, the wooden door swung open and hit the stone wall with a crack, making him jump half a foot in the air. A female voice muttered a curse and repaired the door before slamming it shut.

Jack wasn't sure if it was Nyx or not; there were plenty of other Slytherin girls who were also on PMS regardless of what time of the month it was. Common sense told him not to peek out and see who it was, so he stayed still on the bed, not making a sound.

Before he knew what hit him, the curtains around the bed were thrown open and a body dropped on top of him.

Nyx was very surprised to find that her bed was a lot harder and lumpier than she remembered. She also didn't remember having a bed that made muffled, protesting sounds. When she turned her head and saw a very bewildered (but not entirely unhappy) Jack underneath her, she jumped up and demanded, "What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?"

"Um…" he gasped, still recovering from having his own body weight land on him. "…resting?"

Nyx blinked at him.

"I was tired of standing around and waiting for you, so I decided to _lay_ around and wait for you," Jack explained.

"…whatever. Get up. You're not fun to be on top of," she said, sounding exhausted.

"…_what?"_

Nyx glared at him. "You heard me. And you know what I meant by it. Now get the hell off my bed so I can sleep."

"And what if I don't?" Jack teased, grinning at her and wiggling his eyebrows. After what she just said, he couldn't resist.

"I will tear your balls off with my bare hands and shove them so far up your ass that they pop out your nose."

Jack leapt off the bed too quickly to look where he was going, and almost tore the curtains down when he landed on them.

Nyx flashed him a huge grin and almost sang, "That's more like it!"

All he could do was cower on the floor and hug his knees in an attempt to protect his valuables. He thought it would make her laugh, not threaten to violently molest him. _She's in a **much** worse mood than usual…_

As Nyx kicked her shoes off and crawled under the blankets, Jack peeked in at her through the curtain. "Did you get it back?" he asked.

She held up the blood ruby for him to see, and before he could ask where she found it, she said, "Quidditch pitch."

"Well, that's good," her minion said, smiling. When Nyx didn't respond, he added, "…are you feeling alright?"

"Not especially. Why?" she replied in that same tired voice.

"You look more miserable than you usually do," Jack said. "Do you want to vent at me?"

"No…" she muttered, pulling the covers up to her chin and rolling over so that her back was to him.

"Can I ask what happened?" He doubted that he would get an answer, but it was worth a shot. Besides, right now she didn't seem to be in a mood where she would get mad at him for asking.

"…I'll explain later," Nyx sighed. "I'm just not feeling that great at the moment, okay?"

"Alright," Jack said. "While I'm sitting here, do you need anything? A nightcap, maybe?"

"…yeah. That sounds good."

He went over to the trunk, gently pushed Nyx's stuff out of the way, and unlocked the compartment at the bottom. He took out one of the handheld-sized glass bottles filled with what looked like water, and put the trunk back in proper order.

Jack handed the bottle of vodka to his master, who took it gratefully. She started chugging it, but stopped abruptly to stare at the bottle like it had just slapped her across the face. Before the drink touched her lips, she had been praising her own brilliance for transfiguring her personal stock of AB positive so that it seemed to be just a colorless, odorless liquid, and simply telling Jack that it was vodka. He would never know the difference since he never touched the real stuff. Usually, Nyx preferred to get her blood "from the tap," but she could only sneak out during the night on certain occasions. She rarely needed to drink an entire adult's supply of blood in one sitting, and since the thought of wasting that wonderful AB positive made her positively sick, she stored the extra blood in those little glass bottles. They were easy to carry around with her and could hold enough blood to quench her thirst.

_This_ bottle, however, was not full of disguised AB positive. To her immense disappointment, it was plain old vodka, which she kept with the blood in case she ever felt like making herself a Bloody Mary. (The cyanide to go with the vodka and AB positive was left in Slughorn's possession since it was much less suspicious for the Potions Master to have it.)

Nyx was crestfallen when she remembered that she had ran out of blood about 2 days ago. That was, after all, the reason why she was so distressed when the blood ruby went missing. But, even though she wasn't really in the mood, she drank the entire bottle of vodka anyway; it was better than nothing.

Once it was completely empty, Jack placed the bottle back with the rest of its companions. Nyx lay down and made herself comfortable; she wasn't getting up for the rest of the day if she had anything to say about it. The vodka only helped her mood for a few fleeting moments, and that mood was one where she didn't want to be around anyone any more than she had to. And if she wasn't up here claiming to "feel a little sick," she would have to be down there in the middle of the party, and that would last 2 minutes before she made up an excuse to leave for good.

Even Jack was difficult to talk to right now, and that was a rarity. What happened with her, Draco and Narcissa shouldn't have been bothering her this much. Like Nyx herself said, she'd been called a "monster" a million times before. Why did it hurt this time, and not the other 999,999 times?

Maybe because she never intended to hurt anyone today, and yet Narcissa still died. Why? Because Nyx couldn't control herself. Why? Because she has SMS. Why did this whole situation feel painfully familiar to her? Because it was the same situation when Kalixius died. And just like when Kalixius died, Nyx truly felt sorry for what happened. She didn't care for Draco either way, but she understood what it felt like to lose your mother in such a horrible way; Nyx's mother was bitten by a venomous snake when Nyx was 8. There was no one around to give her the antidote, and her mother was too weak to try to save herself. So, she died.

Nyx really was sorry for what had happened, even though she couldn't say it at the time. If she had the chance, she would apologize. She would gladly bring Narcissa back to life once she learned how. And she's still called a monster?

**Yes, Nyx, because you _are_ a monster, and that's how it will always be. Once a monster, always a monster. It's who you are; there is no escaping it. **The Beast said simply.

…_I could change if they would give me a chance…_

**If you could change, I'm sure you would. But you _can't_. You are a creature of habit, Nyx. You do something once, you'll do it a thousand times after. _This_ is no exception. **

**Face it. You are a monster. You will be a monster until you die – maybe even _after_ you die, too.**

…_I'm not listening…_

The Beast didn't seem to be in a very fighting mood since he fell silent after that. He probably realized that he didn't need to say any more since Nyx was already panicking.

_What if this happens again? What if I kill someone else I don't mean to? What if I kill…No, that can't happen…It **can't**…I won't let it! I can't hurt him! I can't…Not him…_

Nyx almost wished she could cry. As usual, she didn't want to admit it, but the Beast was right. This probably would happen again, and he didn't need to say who he thought was going to die next. The Beast overheard some of Jack's thoughts and realized that he was doing everything within his power to get closer to Nyx. The Beast knew that the closer someone got to her, the more likely they were going to get killed by her. But was he going to try to change the course of the future, save an innocent man's life, and prevent Nyx from going insane prematurely? Of course not.

Suddenly, Nyx was torn out of her thoughts by the sound of quick footsteps approaching the door. She sat up, grabbed Jack, pulled him up onto the bed (and half on top of herself), clamped a hand over his mouth, and yanked the curtains shut. She was just in time to prevent Pansy Parkinson from seeing anything she shouldn't.

"Hey, Ariana?" she called quietly, which surprised Nyx quite a bit; she was sure the nitwit would have forgotten that she was supposed to be sleeping.

"What?" Nyx replied, not moving an inch, except to prevent Jack from kneeling on her leg again.

"Snape's here to talk to you. Says it's important," Pansy replied. Nyx made a face when she mentioned Snape, and Jack had to try very, very hard not to laugh.

"How important?" she asked.

"I'm to drag you down there by your feet if you don't cooperate," Pansy snickered.

"All right, all right, I'll go," Nyx said with an irritated sigh. "Tell him not to get his undies bunched if I take a minute or two. I need to change my clothes first." She only lied about this because she knew it would piss him off, and he should have known that she didn't want to be bothered any more today.

The dark-haired girl gave an affirmative and skipped out to deliver the message, just in time for Jack's hand to slip off the edge of the bed, removing the support for his body, and causing him to collapse on top of Nyx with his face buried in her chest.

"…for the love of god, Jack, _I get the point_. I'll hire you a hooker as soon as you get off me," Nyx said, surprisingly calm.

"_WHAT?"_ Jack blurted as soon as he heard the part about hiring a hooker. "I-it was an accident! I swear! I don't need you to get me a hooker! …not that I wouldn't appreciate the kind gesture, but still!"

"…you haven't moved your head yet."

"Oh. Uh…shit."

Jack landed flat on his back after Nyx heaved him over the side of the bed with alarming ease. She stood over him as he examined himself for injuries and muttered, "I take it that I should stop trying to amuse you?"

"You don't have to stop," she replied. "Just don't expect me to laugh."

Jack stared up at her for a few seconds before he suddenly stood and asked in a deeply concerned tone, "Seriously, Nyx, what's wrong? You haven't acted like this in a long time."

"Why the hell do you care?" Nyx responded weakly as she slipped her shoes back on, staring at the bedpost.

"Because it bothers me to see you this upset over something without even knowing what it is, or whether I can help make it better," Jack replied smoothly. "That _was_ part of the job description, you know. I'm supposed to keep you in a good mood to the best of my ability. And to be frank, I'd do it even if it wasn't my job to."

She bit her lip as she stared at the floor, cursing him for quoting Kalixius almost exactly. But she also blessed him for it because of all the things he could have said, that was the only one that would make her feel better.

"…fine. You win. I'll explain everything as soon as I have enough time – it's a _very_ long story," Nyx said, finally looking into his eyes, which were now practically glowing with happiness. "But first I need to see what Sevvy-pants wants with me. If he asks me to do something for him that'll take more than 5 minutes, I'm telling him to go fuck a sheep because I have a previous engagement."

"Thank you," Jack said, grinning from ear to ear. _Finally, she's going trust me completely…Maybe this will give me a chance to show her the **real** reason I care about her so much…_

"Don't thank me just yet," she murmured under her breath so that he couldn't hear her. _He's bound to find out soon now that I've ripped someone's throat out on school grounds…I didn't want him to know about it this soon, but I'd rather tell him myself than have him hear it from someone else, so I might as well do it while I have the chance._

But neither of them knew that once she stepped out of that dormitory, she could lose that chance forever. So Jack still smiled and bid her "good luck" as she walked out the door to go and meet with Snape, only to return minutes later in a silent panic.

"What did he want?" Jack asked conversationally as Nyx rushed in and locked the door behind her.

"There's been a change of plans," she replied quickly, scampering over to her trunk and rummaging around in it. "I'm going to have to postpone my big explanation."

"_What?"_ he almost yelled, furious. _"Why?"_

"Because there is something _vastly_ more urgent I need to take care of first," Nyx said, throwing her cloak on, grabbing all the bottles of vodka she could carry and stuffing them into the pockets. She pulled Jack's cloak out of the compartment and tossed it at him as she added, "Keep this with you. You might need it."

He caught the black fabric as he glared at her, hoping for both their sakes that there really was an emergency and she wasn't just making a fool out of him. Nyx levitated her small, metal jewelry box to her hands from the table beside her bed. She undid the sealing charms and locks to make sure some of her most valuable possessions – the black diamond snake ring Jack gave her, and the 6-pointed diamond star ring – were safely in place, before leaving the box in the hidden compartment and casting a spell over it that made the seam in the wood vanish. She didn't want to risk anyone accidentally finding them, so she was willing to go overboard just this once – hell, anyone with any sense would do whatever they had to to protect their own Horcruxes.

"Are you going to tell me what's so bloody important, or are you going to make me guess?" Jack asked a bit nastily.

"Believe me, Jack, if I had the time, I would tell you anything you asked me right now," she replied as nicely as she could. "But if I don't take care of this immediately, you'll get involved too, and I promise that you would hate me for it."

Jack laughed a little and said in a much more pleasant tone, "I doubt I would completely _hate_ you. I'd probably be mad and not give you the time of day for about a week, but I don't think I'd hate you."

"You'd hate me if you died because I didn't leave right now," Nyx said flatly as she grabbed a few odds and ends from her trunk and stuffed them into her cloak with the bottles, just in case she might need them.

"Oh…" he said quietly. He stared at her for a moment and asked, "How long are you going to be gone, exactly?"

"I don't know. That's why I'm bringing all of this crap with me," his master replied, gesturing to her over-full cloak. "I might be back in 15 minutes, I might be back in a week, but –"

"A **_week?_**"

Nyx winced a little at the sudden shout, but recovered soon enough to answer, "…I don't know. Maybe. All I know is that I am coming back here as soon as I possibly can. I am not doing this because I want to, and I am _not_ doing it to avoid giving you that explanation I promised."

"Good. I was really hoping that you wouldn't do that to me," Jack said, finally grasping the fact that she was not going out of her way to be mean to him. "Well, as long as you come back alive, I can stand being here by myself, bored to tears, for however long you need to be gone. I know I have no business acting like that makes any difference to you, but –"

"No, it does make a difference," she interrupted with a small smile. "Besides, I think I can trust you not to cause trouble without my supervision, as long as you're alive when I come back, too."

"I promise," Jack replied, trying not to look too gleeful even though he was about to burst. Nyx hadn't been this nice to him in quite some time, and he didn't think he had done anything to deserve it. As usual, he didn't want to take it for granted, and he really wised he could have taken advantage of it more, but he understood the rush she was in and didn't try to hold her back in order to squeeze in a compliment or two. Besides, he'd have plenty of time for that when she came back in a day or two, right?

To Jack's dismay, that would not be the case. But by the time she came back, he would no longer have any desire to win her over anyway, since he would be much too busy trying to figure out how to kill himself without arms or legs to assist him.

-------------------------------------------------------------

"Did you hear what happened?"

"What, about Ariana?"

"Yeah. Everyone's saying the Ministry came for her last Saturday."

"Why? What'd she do?"

"I dunno, but it must have been pretty bad. They took her with them when they left, and nobody's heard from her yet."

"**_I_** know what she did."

"Ooh, really? Tell us! Tell us!"

"Remember when they found Draco Malfoy's mum in the forest, dead and all torn up? Ariana did it."

"No way!"

"It's true. I heard it straight from a witness."

"But they said Draco's mum looked like a wild animal got at her! How could Ariana do something like that?"

"I dunno, but that's got to be why the Ministry sent fifty people here to apprehend her."

"That's not even the worst part of it, though! I heard she killed _half_ of them before they sedated her or something, and dragged her away!"

"Bollocks!"

"Why do you think they had to close off a few hallways that afternoon? I heard she ripped them apart and made an absolute mess of the place."

"I can't believe you! How could you all say such things about her? I thought we all agreed to like her now!"

"Like her or not, that's what happened. If you're really that stupid, go ask Snape or somebody to tell you otherwise."

"You know they won't tell the truth. How can Snape tell his students that his adoptive daughter or whatever she is, is practically a cannibal? And none of the other teachers'll say anything either because if they do, they'd make the school look dangerous _again_, and they could lose their jobs."

"…I really can't believe Ariana could do something like this. She seemed perfectly decent once she got on the Quidditch team… Anyway, I hope the Ministry's not _too_ hard on her. She's only a student after all."

"Puh-_lease_. They're giving her the death penalty and you know it. We're never seeing her again. Chances are they did the job as soon as they got off school grounds. And she deserved it, the wacko. I mean, did you see the heaps of shit she was hanging around with before she turned good? Ugh! What a freak."

After three days of listening to the Slytherin girls gossiping nonstop, Jack couldn't take it anymore. It was Tuesday evening when he barged into Snape's dank little dungeon office, having flown through the halls in his raven form to avoid detection as much as possible. Snape was only surprised to see Nyx's minion for a moment, and then he remembered what Nyx told him before she left: "Don't be surprised if Jack shows up and demands to know what the fuck is going on."

"**_What the fuck is going on?"_** Jack demanded loudly, very unusual for the normally quiet man. There were dark circles around his eyes and he swayed a little where he stood; Nyx had been gone for 3 days, so he evidently hadn't gotten much sleep in that time. His hair was even messier than usual, his light blue eyes had a distinctly steely glare to them, and he was wearing a rather crazed look.

_I suppose I ought to just appease him to get him out of my hair that much sooner_, Snape thought, abandoning his work in favor of the distraction standing before him.

"Concerning what, pray tell?" the professor asked, gesturing to a chair, which Jack ignored.

"**_Nyx_**, you twit," he practically spat. "Where the fuck is she? Why isn't she back yet? And what the fuck does the Ministry have to do with any of this?"

Oh, joy. Nyx had warned him about _this,_ too: her second-in-command's rather irritating need to know _everything_ whether anyone wants to tell him or not, and how very pissy he gets when he's left in the dark. "Where did you hear that the Ministry was involved?" Snape asked calmly.

"Those damnable girls will not shut up about it. All they talk about is 'Ariana this, Ariana that, Ministry something-or-other…'," he rambled in a mocking tone. "So did the Ministry really come for Nyx or not?"

"Yes, they did," Snape replied. Nyx's orders were to give Jack whatever information he asked for, unless it fell under the "Nyx Tells Him Or No One Tells Him" category (previously titled, "Tell Him And I Turn You Into A Quill Sharpener So I Can Stick Pointy Things Up Your Ass All Day Long"), and not to tell him anything he doesn't ask about first.

"Good, we're finally getting somewhere," Jack sighed as he flopped into the empty chair, which was pulled up beside Snape's desk. "Did they really sedate her and drag her away?"

"Yes."

"How the hell did they manage that with _her_?"

"I don't know. I wasn't there to see what happened," Snape lied. He _was_ there, and he _did_ see what happened, but that topic was off-limits.

"Bugger," Jack muttered. "Then why were they here in the first place? Did she really kill Draco Malfly's, or whatever his name is, mother?"

"Yes, she did," he said, and quickly added, "But she asked me not to explain why she did it. She would rather tell you herself. I think she mentioned something about telling you as soon as she gets back, but I wasn't playing that much attention."

The black-clothed man's eyes softened when he remembered Nyx's generosity. "Well, then, can you tell me if this guy's mum was really all torn up and everything?"

"…erm…I'm not sure if Nyx would be mad at me for telling you, so I'm going to be intelligent and just not answer."

"Bugger again. In that case, can I assume that the Ministry is putting her on trial for murder?"

"Yes, but I'm not sure when they're actually doing it," Snape answered, lying again. The trial was in two days, but he knew without Nyx telling him that letting Jack know about this was a bad idea. Snape realized how devoted of a follower he was, and that he would probably run off to sabotage the trial if he thought it would make Nyx happy. The only problem was that it would **_not_** make her even a bit happy because she already cooked up a plan to make the trial work out to her benefit, and if Jack interfered and ruined everything yet _again_, even with the best intentions, she would be _very, **very**_ displeased with him.

Jack looked down to fumble with his gloves before asking in a slightly shaky voice, "D-do you think they'll put her to death?"

"No," Snape said simply. "They'll definitely _want_ to, and they'll try everything they can think of, but no. She won't let them kill her."

"Good," Jack sighed, leaning back in the chair like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. As he sat there, looking a load more peaceful than when he stormed in only minutes ago, Snape stared at him curiously. _Is he…? No, that can't be right…Or maybe it is…_

"Why are you so concerned about what happens to her?" he asked carefully, still watching Jack's every move. "She's a grown woman. She doesn't need a babysitter."

"Is there something wrong with wanting to know how your boss is doing?" he asked in reply, staring back at Snape just as intently.

"No. In fact, I think it's commendable," he said, folding his hands on the desk. "Your level of concern, though, makes me think you're more than just a very devoted minion."

"What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?" Jack snapped, beginning to feel his face warm up.

"I'm just wondering what makes you care so much about Nyx, that's all," he replied silkily.

The raven animagus glared at a jar full of eyes suspended in a bloody-looking liquid as he said, "I'm concerned with her well-being because if she were unable to do her job anymore, because the Ministry executed her, for example, the chain of command makes **_me_** the new head of her organization, and to be very honest, I don't think I'm cut out for the job. I want to know these things so that I can prepare myself to take her place if the need arises. I _really_ don't want to do it, so I'm hoping that she stays alive and well enough to achieve her goals within her lifetime, so that _**I** _don't have to do it."

"Oh, that's _precious_," Snape cooed. "But it's also a lie. A very nice one, but a lie nonetheless. Would you like to tell me the real reason, or do you want me to do it for you?"

Jack just stared at him with a raised eyebrow, wondering why he was accusing him of lying. What he said _was_ in fact true; he just left out the most important part.

The DADA professor waited a few moments more for a response, and when he didn't hear one, he leaned back in his chair, folded his arms across his chest smugly, and said, "You're in love with her."

"What?" Jack asked, forcing himself to laugh as if Snape was joking.

"It's written all over your face," he said, grinning nastily.

"I think someone poisoned your pumpkin juice because you're spouting nonsense," Jack retorted, still smiling like it was all a big joke as he rose from his chair and began to back up towards the door. Severus Snape was the _last_ person he wanted to talk about his feelings for Nyx with. And since he had caught on to the "love" part already, Jack decided now was a marvelous time to make like a shepherd and get the flock out.

"You're wasting your time with her, you know," Snape said loudly to make sure that the fleeing 24-year-old would hear him.

Jack turned around with his hand resting on the door handle and gave him a quizzical look. "What are you talking about?"

"It's a waste of time to love Nyx, is what I'm telling you. You would be better off doing _anything_ else with your time than spending it on her in any way that is romantically inclined. I'm telling you this for your own good, so it would be wise to put it into practice."

Jack's mouth actually dropped open at what he just heard. "First of all, who the hell died and made _you_ the authority on Nyx?" he snapped angrily. "Secondly, what the hell makes you think I need to do what _you_ tell me to? Thirdly, I am going to love whoever I damn well want to, so back the fuck off."

"Look, you bloody simpleton," Snape snapped back, very irritated by Jack's lack of respect. Whether he listened to him or not wasn't a life or death issue, but as a matter of pride, Snape could not allow Jack to go on not fearing him, unlike everyone else. "I wouldn't waste my breath telling you this if I didn't know what I was talking about or have a damn good reason for telling you in the first place. I have known Nyx for almost as long as you've been _alive_, so don't you dare act like you know more than I do."

"Oh, really? Well, then, please bestow a bit of your infinite wisdom and knowledge onto me, a poor, lowly mortal," Jack spat, mocking him.

"You have no chance with that woman because she doesn't want anything to do with you if you're not going to do her bidding like the good little lap dog you are," Snape hissed mercilessly. "You may like to think that she cares about you and she trusts you, but at the end of the day, she won't even remember your name. To her, you are nothing more than a tool she can use to get what she wants, and then throw away when she doesn't need it any more or it gets broken."

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about, you hypocrite," Jack said dismissively. Nyx's recent behavior had convinced him that she really _did_ care and she _was_ beginning to trust him. The rest of that malarkey he was spitting out was just ridiculous, and Jack didn't give it a second thought.

"You wouldn't say that if you knew Nyx the way I do," Snape shot back, leaning forward in the chair. "No matter what you do, you will not win her love. I'm not saying it because I'm trying to make you feel inferior or undesirable – I'm saying it because that woman does not have the ability to love anything or anyone."

"Could you do me a favor and teach me how you can tell such huge lies while keeping such a straight face? I'm sure it would come in handy eventually," Jack asked with a grin.

"Alright, I shall correct myself then; Nyx may have had the ability to love once in her lifetime, but that ability was lost a very, very long time ago, and she has no intention of ever getting it back."

"What, you can read her mind now? Wow. Now _that's_ impressive. Can you pat your head and rub your belly at the same time, too?"

"You sound bitter. Is that because you realize that you can't have her no matter what you do?"

"You sound jealous. Is that because you realize that I have a better chance with her than _you'll_ ever have?"

Snape clenched his jaw as the words reopened old wounds. "…the reason I'm telling you all this is because I was in love with her once, a _long_ time ago. It's one of the bigger regrets of my life. I realize now how much time and energy I squandered on her to get nothing in return, and it would be a bother if I let you do the same thing without at least warning you, and then having to deal with my conscience."

"Oh, so **_you're_** the bitter one," Jack said in sarcastic awe.

"Believe me, my regret is _not_ that she and I didn't live happily ever after," Snape replied. "I just can't believe I fell in love with a monster."

Jack felt his entire body tense up when that man called her a monster. "And just what possesses you call her a 'monster'?"

"Like I said before, if you knew her the way I do, you wouldn't have to ask," Snape said, grinning at him cruelly. "You'd already know that she is a heartless, soulless, unfeeling, uncaring, inhuman monster, incapable of loving or trusting _anyone_. And don't you dare call me a liar because if you asked Nyx herself, she wouldn't deny it."

"Well I'm calling you a liar anyway, you disgusting bastard," Jack snarled at him, his temper boiling over for the first time in years. "It's true that I don't know her the way you do, and I never intended to say otherwise. But I know she isn't any of those things because I know her in a way you couldn't _possibly_ comprehend if you're so convinced that she's an ungodly monster!"

"That doesn't change the fact that she has no heart or soul and doesn't give a flying fuck about anyone but herself!"

"She cares enough about me to volunteer to resurrect my sister even though she won't get a thing out of it!"

"She's incapable of pain or remorse, which means she could kill you _and_ your freshly-resurrected sister just for kicks, and you'd never be able to fight her off!"

"Just because curses bounce off of her like water on rocks doesn't mean that she's invincible all the way through!"

"She told me herself that every last person working for her is totally dispensable, including _you_, so if I were to kill you right now, she wouldn't shed a single tear on your grave – in fact, she's never cried a drop in her entire life!"

"My clothes were _drenched_ from her tears, and I don't care about the rest of my coworkers, but I know I'm the only one she could trust to cry in front of or get any kind of sympathy from!"

"She is the most evil monster on the planet, and _she does not **deserve** to be loved!"_

"Because she's the most evil monster on the planet, I say she deserves to be loved more than anyone else!"

"Quit being such a stubborn jackass and accept the truth! Nyx is _evil incarnate_! Falling in love with her is _suicide_!"

"I've heard enough!"

"She is a _living black hole_; everything else just exists to feed her power, and by trying to get as close to her as you possibly can, you're just going to get sucked in and crushed into oblivion! And no matter how much love you give her, she can't give you any in return even if she wants to!"

"_Shut the fuck up!"_

Snape slammed his hands on the table and stood up abruptly, knocking his chair backwards onto the floor, and nearly screaming, "I'm trying to save your pathetic life, and that's all you have to say to me? It's no _wonder_ you didn't get into Ravenclaw – if you had any brain at all you would know that instead of standing here playing Devil's Advocate, you should be getting as far away from that monster as you possibly can! If you don't cut ties with her before it's too late, she's going to drag you down to hell with her, and I will _not_ be held responsible for it!"

"_I thought I told you to shut your filthy mouth."_

The tip of Jack's wand was a paper's width from Snape's pale skin, pointed straight between his eyes. Jack's arm was shaking as he held it in place, but only from rage, and certainly not from fear.

"…_if you speak one more word against her, I will not hesitate to blast your skull open,"_ Jack said in a low, deadly, almost demonic voice.

Snape stared down at him unemotionally. He tried his best not to show it, but even though he was shorter, thinner, and weaker than Snape himself, the look of pure, unadulterated hatred in his eyes was nearly on par with Nyx. Snape wouldn't admit that it frightened him a little, but that was why he decided that he needed to at least try to get back on Jack's good side before he got Nyx pissed off at him for saying all that about her, whether it was true or not.

"…I did not say any of this to offend anyone," he said as calmly as his nerves would allow. "I said it because it is the truth as I have seen it with my own eyes. I realized that you were unaware of it, and I knew that I was putting you in danger by not telling you the truth."

"I don't care about your bloody 'truth'! To me it's nothing but the filthiest lies!" Jack shouted. "_You_ may hate Nyx, but not everyone else does! Don't _ever_ try to shove your damned opinions down my throat again, _especially_ when it concerns her!"

"I do not hate Nyx," Snape said quietly. "I fear and respect her as any sensible person should. I admire her very much for her better qualities, but it is her bad side that prevents me from becoming more than a friend to her. I was merely pointing these things out to you since you seem to be ignoring them."

"And for good reason; _they don't exist!" _Jack spat.

"…apparently, that's how things are in _your_ world," Snape replied in a voice like frozen acid. "But here in reality, it's a little bit different, and you'd realize that if you'd listen to a single thing I said."

"Then I'm glad I don't live in your reality because I know I'd hate it there!" Jack yelled. "It's blind, ignorant fools like you that make Nyx feel like the world hates her and wishes she was dead! If you had _any_ idea of what she was really like, you'd realize how much pain that causes her and how badly she doesn't deserve that kind of treatment!"

"No, _you're_ the ignorant one!" Snape shouted back, ignoring the wand poking him in the bridge of the nose. "You're too caught up in your pointless, fruitless love for her, and you couldn't see the truth if it hit you in the face! That's why I've been telling you what's true about her because you can't see it for yourself, and no one else could tell you the way I can!"

"No," Jack replied with a horribly Nyx-ish smile. "All you see of her is what she _wants_ you to see. I see her for what she _really_ is. Why, you ask? Because **_I looked_**."

Jack pressed the tip of the wand against the space between Snape's eyes even harder, and just as he opened his mouth to utter a curse that would have imploded the other man's brain, his entire body jerked and he staggered back. He stood there, stunned, as Snape watched him. Jack staggered again and caught himself on the desk, blinking in confusion and gasping for breath.

_Why does it look darker in here? …And why is it so hard to breathe? …And why does my body suddenly feel so damn **heavy **when my head feels so** light**?_

Snape saw the wand drop out of his limp fingers and the slow, labored breaths that shook his entire thin frame as his eyes began to cloud over. _Hmph. Idiot must have gotten himself poisoned_, the ex-potions master thought heartlessly, remaining behind the desk as Jack staggered again, this time almost falling to the floor. _Looks like Niuzif…His senses are shutting down, his heartbeat is slowing to a halt, his muscles are failing, his nerves are short-circuiting and burning out, his lungs are collapsing, and pretty soon his brain will stop functioning. Yes, it must be Niuzif._

…and then it dawned on Snape that if he let Jack die right there in his office, Nyx would blame _him_ whether he poisoned him or not, which he didn't. And despite what he said before, Snape knew that if every last one of her underlings except him died, Nyx couldn't care less, but if only Jack died…He was afraid to even think about the possibilities.

But by the time Snape decided to save him, Jack's legs had given out completely, and he had collapsed on the cold stone floor, almost completely blinded and deafened, and soon to be paralyzed from head to toe. The professor knelt down beside him as he gasped for breaths that were not going to come, and held his hands out over him without touching him.

Remembering the short incantation Nyx taught him to use for this sort of poison, Snape muttered it once, and watched as his hands developed a glowing white aura, which quickly reached out to Jack. With literal seconds to spare, his one-way ride to the next life was stopped.

But Snape's selfish hesitation would force Jack to pay a terrible price; he had reversed the effect of the Niuzif poison on his life-sustaining organs, but he had not undone the rest of the damage it left behind.

--- to be continued in Chapter 34 : Renegade ---

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (With exception of Nyx, Jack, SMS, the Beast, and anyone else I forgot.) 

**A/N: **Oooh, this was such a fun chapter to write! I don't know why, but it really was! (I usually don't think that about the stuff I write, so that's why I'm making a big deal about it.) The next chapter and a lot of the ones after it should be just as enjoyable if not more because now that we're past the first portion of the story, which had all the not-as-exciting or interesting buildup to the second portion (where we are right now), which has all the twice as exciting and interesting build-up to the third portion, which is the (hopefully) three times as exciting and interesting finale. I'm really not trying to toot my own horn, so I apologize if it's coming off that way, but I'm just letting you know that it's just going to get better from here on in. :D So please continue having such saintly patience with me and continue reading my humble fanfic if it pleases you.

...with that said, I think there's something I should clear up before anyone aims a cannon at me: **_JACK IS NOT DEAD_**. I'm sure there are people out there that just needed me to restate it, so there you go. -hands out kleenex-

Kudos to my lovely betas, Tiff and Shan.

**General Notes: **...and now you know why I called it "Poison Ravens." Hehe. -snickers deviously-

Jack's "scavenging run" he mentions in the beginning isn't that important, but I may as well explain it for those who were a bit confused. As you recall, Jack is a crow animagus, and crows are scavengers, so at night, he goes around looking for dead and dying stuff to munch on, since Nyx would be too suspicious if she had to bring him normal human food all the time.

I simply couldn't resist putting in all the perverted stuff with the bed and the hooker and whatnot. You'll find out later that Nyx is a huge pervert, though she only reveals it to other perverts, and Jack is also a huge pervert, but he's a "closet pervert" because he tries to hide it and is actually embarrassed about it at times. I guess this is technically foreshadowing Nyx and Jack watching bondage porn together since they both have a thing for it and - oh, WHAT? I'm _kidding_! (Half of you look very dissapointed.)

Most of you are probably very excited about hearing Nyx's "big explanation," but I'm going to warn you right now that it won't happen for several chapters. (This "big explanation" and the "flashback chapters" I've talked about are the exact same thing, if you were wondering.) But many other things will be explained on the way to those chapters as well, so I promise not to keep you in the dark for the whole time. :D

The Niuzif (**NYUU**-zeef) (simply means "poison" - uncreative, I know, but it's simple and I like how it sounds) poison will be explained fully in a future chapter. I made it up, so don't look for it in the books or anywhere else. I think this is one of my better ideas just because of how it's tied into the story, but I obviously can't say any more now.

**Preview:** Remember how in the A/N for that one chapter a long time ago I talked about a Soundtrack for this fic? "Renegade" by Styx was on it, and the next chapter is the reason why, hence the title. I can't put the song lyrics in the chapter, but I wish I could because it would be very cool. Anyway, Nyx goes on trial for Narcissa's murder and makes a few startling revelations about other crimes she's committed, only so that she can say, "this is why I laughed at you when you said I only killed one person." (There will be a slight delay with this chapter because I need to finish a new picture I've started before I post it. The 'outfit' Nyx is wearing in the pic appears in the chapter, and I know it'll be hard to picture without a visual aid, so I wanted to make sure I had one.)

**Final Words: **I know I've mentioned this before, but seeing as most people seem to have forgotten, I might as well mention it again: I NEED MORE REVIEWS. I can't improve my writing unless I know how I'm doing right now, so you guys have to start giving me more feedback. There are a handful of you who have been reviewing since the beginning, and you have my deepest appreication and thanks for it, but to the rest of you...is it _that_ hard to write a simple little review?

Would it help if I asked you to tell me what you like about the story that made you read all of it so far, what you didn't like about certain characters or chapters that I could have done a better job on, who your favorite character is, what your favorite chapter was, what your favorite character pairing is (in relation to this fic, not just general Harry Potter), what you hope will happen in the future of the story, etc.? I'm not saying that you have to answer every question like it's a test or something, but I want to make it easy for you to tell me what you think, and if you know what I'm asking for, I hope that makes it easier for you to help me out.

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**---** **k**avi - **s**ama **---**


	34. Chapter 34: Renegade

_Note__: You may want to skim through chapters 31-33 just so you remember what's going on. I won't blame you for forgetting after such a long time… - Kavi_

Chapter 34 : Renegade

…_it…_

…_it hurts…_

…_s-someone…_

…_please…_

…_make it stop…_

…_it hurts…_

…_please…_

…_**please**__ help me…_

-------------------------------------------------------------

"Good day, Remus."

"Hello, Arthur. I see that you brought everyone."

"Yes, we decided to just comply with her…er, 'request,' rather than cause trouble. Where are Tonks and Mad-Eye?"

"They'll meet up with us later on. Auror business, you know."

"Ah, right. So, how are…er…'things'?"

"'Things'?"

Arthur Weasley gave Remus Lupin a half-shrug and an odd look.

"Oh," the werewolf said. "_Her_, you mean."

"Yes," Arthur said, nodding unenthusiastically.

"Well, from what Tonks and Mad-Eye said, she's doing about as well as anyone in her position could. I'm not allowed to discuss the specifics because I'm not supposed to know, but they're not exactly gentle with people like her. It's no surprise she's in such a state."

"Oh, I imagine not," the balding redhead said in a lower voice so that the group standing nearby wouldn't hear. "Ever since they brought her in here 5 days ago, that's all anyone's been talking about, even though it's supposed to be top secret and all. I've heard rumors about what they've been doing to her, and they've all been less than pleasant, let me tell you. I have a hard time blaming them for sparing no expense, though."

"You might change your mind once the trial begins," Lupin replied in an even lower voice. As Arthur stopped to wonder at that, the other man strode over to the small crowd of familiar faces, none of which looked very happy to be there.

Greetings and false smiles were exchanged in the stone corridor leading to Courtroom 11, located on the 10th level of the Ministry of Magic. Even Arthur was surprised to hear of this courtroom because it wasn't supposed to exist; Courtroom 10, where Harry was tried for performing underage magic just before his 5th year, was only used for the most serious criminal cases, and it was assumed that there were no exceptions to this.

But then it was revealed that a hidden courtroom had been built about 500 years ago, right around the time the Black Dawn organization began researching and testing on SMS victims. Such people could not be tried in the normal courtrooms because they were much too powerful to be restrained without the proper equipment, which the Ministry figured out only after one SM tore over 100 people to shreds during his wholly ineffective trial. Thus, a new courtroom was built to the exact specifications for safely bringing an SM to justice, and they called it Courtroom 11.

After some idle chatting had been done, Arthur checked his watch and said, "Well, it's 10 minutes to. We might as well get this over with."

The group gave a general nod of assent, and the whole crowd marched down the hallway towards the Ministry guide who would be leading them to Courtroom 11. No one felt the urge to speak as they trudged down hidden stairs, through locked doors, and finally crossed the long corridor that led to an imposing black door with an iron "11" hammered into it. A figure covered in shadows lurked nearby, and when it saw the mass of people approaching, it stepped into the light of a wall-mounted torch and revealed itself to be Severus Snape.

"You showed up," he said, sounding half surprised.

"We received a subpoena, Snape," Lupin replied testily. "We didn't have much of a choice."

"It wasn't from the Ministry, though," the DADA professor said, peering at the dimly-lit shapes of Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Fred, George, Bill, Fleur, Molly and Arthur, none of whom had any connection to the case at hand, as far as the Ministry was concerned.

"_She_ demanded our presence at the trial, so that's even _better_ than a subpoena," Arthur retorted.

"At least you seem to realize that, unlike a real subpoena, she won't have you arrested for disobeying it – she'll just kill you," Snape said with a small grin. "I really don't know why she wants you here, but your presence should please her a bit."

"She realizes that we're missing school for this, right?" Hermione asked, absolutely furious that she wasn't learning something new right that moment.

"I don't know and I really don't care, Miss Granger, so don't ask me again," he replied nonchalantly, turning towards the door and slinking into the courtroom, ignoring Hermione's indignant protests.

The group followed him and was dumbstruck when they saw the "courtroom" before them. It was cavernous with cold, gray stone walls, stained brownish-red in some areas with what looked like blood. It looked like an indoor amphitheater with its stadium-like benches circling the round room, surrounding a raised platform in the very middle. On the platform sat two massive silver cages, one within the other, shaped just right to contain a human-sized being. Enormous silver spikes covered the insides of both cages, and upon closer inspection, one would notice that they were capable of detaching themselves and skewering the poor soul inside. There were also several silvery cables attached to various parts of the two cages, but their ends were resting on the stone floor, waiting to be hooked up to their next victim.

A section of the benches was raised far above the rest; this was where the Wizengamot sat, towering above everyone like gods as they rendered their judgment. But they hadn't arrived yet, and neither had anyone else. There was just the cold, empty courtroom, barely lit by the pathetic flames in the torches.

Harry, along with everyone else who had been a witness, was very unsettled by how much this room reminded him of the room Sirius died in. Like that chamber with the eerie veil, Courtroom 11 seemed to have witnessed a few deaths – violent ones, from the brown stains of wide blood spatter on the walls. It made them wonder if the blood belonged to the SMs being tried, or the people doing the trying. From the looks of the double cages in the middle of the room, it should have been impossible for anyone to get out of there and still have the strength to kill.

…_help me…_

Surely the one on trial would be too badly wounded to pose much of a threat.

…_please…_

Plus there would be plenty of Aurors and SMS specialists to incapacitate them before they harmed anyone, if the cages didn't do their job.

…_stop…_

Yes, there was nothing to fear. There was no way she could escape and go on a murderous rampage or something equally horrid. Someone would be able to hurt her so badly that she wouldn't be able to stand.

…_don't hurt me again…_

They would be perfectly safe.

…_or I will kill you all._

--------------------------------------------------

Nyx had never been in this much pain before in her life. The constant agony coursing through her battered body made her delirious. She could barely tell the difference between her mind's frantic cries for help and reality. She kept thinking that she was finally dying because she couldn't believe that she was surviving such pain. Now and then, she imagined that she heard Kalixius' (or maybe Jack's) calming voice speaking to her, but it always turned out to be one of her captors, and their words were anything but kind.

Her mind was so desperate for something good to happen that it was making up fantasies left and right. Even as a team of SMS specialists dragged her out to the double cages, Nyx was sure that they were dragging her to the front door (forgetting that the Ministry didn't even have one) and were about to toss her outside, so that she could finally go home.

The so-called "sedative" they shot her up with was beginning to wear off just as they finished hooking her up in the cages with the silver cables. Nyx's bleary eyes were barely able to focus as they rolled around in confusion. She heard distant voices that gradually became louder and clearer, and soon she was able to recognize the echoing sounds of a crowd in a large, stony room. Her vision was slowly returning, and eventually Nyx was able to see that she was in a courtroom filled to the brim with people.

As her eyes regained their focus, Nyx recognized the entire 50-member Wizengamot staring down at her with a mix of horror, fascination, fear, and loathing. She turned her head with some difficulty and saw the witnesses and random "audience members," for lack of a better term, seated in the benches. The looks of terror and disgust on their faces came as no surprise to Nyx, and neither did the general cringing at her physical state.

On the surface, she looked bad enough. The people in charge of "taking care of her" had dressed her up in the Ultimate SM Restraining Device, a combination of cloth and metal mixed together with magic and applied via some very serious surgery. She was completely covered in black fabric except for her head, shoulders and arms, with a garment that looked like the result of crossing an evening dress with a straightjacket. Her waist and above looked like a halter-top, except that it was held up by a blessed silver collar that had been bolted into her neck (with blessed silver bolts, of course).

Beneath her bust and all the way down to her feet, the fabric morphed into horizontal bands that could be tightened or loosened at will, but only when an Auror adjusted the enchantment placed on them. Currently, the bands were at their tightest to make sure that Nyx couldn't move her legs or breathe easily. Two heavy black panels of fabric hung over her hips, bolted into her abdomen and pelvis bone; these seemed to serve no other purpose than providing an excuse to hammer more silver bolts into her.

Nyx's arms were covered in more black strips of fabric, like the ones in the "dress," and were just as adjustable. They served the same purpose as well; to make it as difficult as possible to move. The strips of black were wrapped around her hands and up to her fingers, and almost up to her shoulder on the left arm, and to her elbow on the right. That was because, on her upper right arm, an identification number had been burned into her skin with white-hot, blessed silver brands – like she was cattle or something. The four numbers, 9950, each had a unique, intricate pattern engraved into the solid part of the numeral, making it easy to tell that the numbers were Ministry-approved and not false (though why anyone in their right mind would want to pretend to be an SM the Ministry got a hold of was beyond comprehension).

Nyx's bare, white feet had holes punched through them so that the silver cables attached to the floor could be fed through them, making it even more difficult for her to move, and nearly impossible to escape. The bracelet-like bands of silver on her wrists, bolted in as usual, were also hooked up to cables that were intertwined with the cages. They, however, were left slack, almost as if they were only needed to restrain someone during an emergency.

Like the holes in her feet, two more gaping voids had been cut out of her, positioned directly over the joint between her upper arm and shoulder. These had do be reinforced by thick, L-shaped strips of silver that extended to both ends of the holes, back and front, which were – you guessed it – bolted in deeply and securely. This was because in each hole, a mechanism had been installed that contained a good length of the silver cables.

The cables extended in both directions; to the front, the cables were bolted into Nyx's palms, crossing over her chest in a shiny X as the cable from one shoulder was fed to the opposite hand. In the back, the cables reached up to Nyx's jaw, where they were tied around the silver "muzzle" covering her mouth and nose. The cables slid through the barred grate over Nyx's mouth to make sure that even if she happened to get out, she couldn't eat anyone. The muzzle was secured to her face by those familiar silver bolts – one in each temple – and two smaller lengths of the silver cable that looped over her ears.

But this was not the worst of it. Beneath her skin and muscles, hidden from view so that she was the only one who knew how much she was suffering, was an obsessively orchestrated mess of silver plates, bars, chains, cables, threads, bolts, and anything else you can imagine. Her entire body was filled with blessed, burning, bloody silver. And the bolts that ran though her, connecting the silver skeleton to the cables attached to a small contraption on the top of the cage, allowed an Auror to electrocute her with just a wave of his wand.

The cables coming out of her body _had_ to come from somewhere, which meant that by pulling them in just the right way, Nyx could turn into a morbid puppet. A puppet that was all but paralyzed by how much pain she was in, incapable of fighting back or protecting herself. One whose eyes were so bloodshot they looked dark pink. One who had such dark rings around her drooping eyes she could have passed for a raccoon. One whose sunken cheeks and dangerously small waist made her look like a chronic anorexic. One whose skin, which had taken on a more deathly pallor than usual, had been burned solid black wherever that accursed silver had touched it.

One who had been denied sleep, food, water, and blood for the past five days. Because without turning her into a half-dead puppet, they knew that there was no way to control her.

Nyx, despite being barely able to think, knew this as well. She was almost glad to see about a hundred Aurors (one of which she identified as Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, and another with wild hair that she didn't recognize, who was Nymphadora Tonks) encircling the caged platform she was being displayed on, strung up like a hanged man. That meant that they weren't underestimating her, even after putting her through 48 hours of horrifying surgery without anesthesia (also known as "torture") to fit her with the elaborate and expensive restraining device, from the silver skeleton to the "clothes." Most of the SMS specialists from all over England were present as well, and a few were even on the front lines before the Aurors just in case things went awry.

The SM's eyes drifted to her hands and arms, and she saw that the bolts were leaking blood. Everywhere else, too, she was oozing that dark red liquid, which tinted the silver pink and made her look twice as awful. _That's funny…_ she thought weakly_. I was sure they had drained me before the surgery…Wonder where it came from… _She didn't have the strength to think about it too much.

Soon Nyx's wandering gaze fell on the only recognizable faces in the room, which belonged to the small group whose presence at her trial she had demanded. _Good __**god**_she thought. _They torture me mercilessly for five days but they still have the decency to pass on my message… I hate these people…_

Snape caught her eye long enough to try to communicate with her telepathically, but to his intense alarm, she refused to allow it and rolled her head the other way.

Arthur saw the look of worry come over the professor's face and asked, "Is something wrong, Severus?"

"I'm just very unhappy with how they've been treating her," he half-lied. "They should know better than to abuse SMs like that. They'd be better off poking a dragon in the eye with a flaming stick."

"Yes, I…I wasn't expecting it to be this extreme either," the head of the Weasley clan replied a bit weakly. "I heard they spared no expense when dealing with SMs, but…this is…"

"Repulsive," Hermione said quietly. "And horrifying."

"How do they get away with doing this?" George hissed.

"Yeah, you'd think people would object to it just a bit," Fred added.

"Sure, she's no saint…" George continued.

"…but this is bollocks!" Fred finished.

"If the general public knew what was going on, I'm sure they would protest," Snape replied. "But they don't. You didn't actually think they _publicized_ things like this, did you?"

No one answered him. And it was just as well because the leading member of the Wizengamot, seated smack in the middle of the front row, was ready to get things started.

"Silence, please," Rufus Scrimgeour said politely, but with a great deal of authority. "This hearing will commence if all Wizengamot members, witnesses, and other persons whose attendance has been requested are present."

He looked down the row to a redheaded young man wearing horn-rimmed glasses, sitting in one of the lower benches. Percy Weasley, court scribe, gave him an affirmative nod, and then looked down to organize his parchment and quills. He had not once looked at his family since he walked into that courtroom.

"Very well then," Scrimgeour said, lacing his fingers together over the pile of papers in front of him. He continued in a ringing voice, "Disciplinary hearing of the first of May into offenses committed under the Statute of Illegal Termination of Life, the Blood Ruby Act, and the Decree for Mandatory Sang Maudit Recognition, by Ariana Harthcrow, 6th Year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, identification number 9950.

"Interrogators: Rufus Scrimgeour, Minister of Magic; Professor Albert Eldridge, Head of the Department of Sang Maudit Relations and Cooperation –"

"Did you say 'Eldridge'?" Nyx asked suddenly, but very quietly; the silver collar made speaking almost unbearable.

"Yes, that is my name," the man in question replied in a familiarly snooty, slightly wheezy voice. Albert leaned forward in his seat near Scrimgeour and peered down at her from behind a monocle. His eyes were a rather foggy blue, and his neatly combed hair was white and whispy, but his face, covered in surprisingly few wrinkles for his age, was unmistakable. "Why does it concern you?"

Nyx smirked a little, and only a little so that her cheek didn't press into the silver of the muzzle any more than it had to. "It only concerns me if your middle name is Randolphus."

Albert narrowed his eyes at her and replied carefully, "It is. How did you know that?"

"Your little brother and I are quite close," she said. "He told me all about you. You two were real pals back in the day, weren't you? Hell, you even went into the same line of work. The Eldridge Brothers were the most reputable, knowledgeable and experienced members of Black Dawn."

"That they were," Scrimgeour interrupted. "Which is why Cornelius Fudge re-hired Professor Albert here. He would have hired Professor Edgar as well, but he was killed in the name of progress. Very tragic, that."

Albert gave the Minister a dirty look as he talked about Edgar so familiarly, and added to Nyx, "Speaking of which, I'm beginning to question your sanity since my brother is in fact deceased. And, to my knowledge, it is therefore not possible for you to be 'close' to him in any meaning of the phrase."

"He stayed behind as a ghost," she said, rasping a little. "Don't ask why he hung around me all that time; I can't be bothered to read his mind, so I wouldn't know. But that's beside the point… I'm curious, though; Why would either of you need to be re-hired by the Ministry? And since when the hell has there been a 'Department of Sang Maudit Relations and All That Shit'?"

"That's none of your –" the elderly wizard spat, raising his voice, until Scrimgeour cut him off.

"Back to the matter at hand," he said testily. Albert's mouth closed immediately, and he resumed his composure. "The _rest_ of the interrogators; Professor Sophia Luca, Head of the Sang Maudit Research Program, codename 'Black Dawn' –"

"_**WHAT?**_" Nyx almost screamed, ignoring the collar and the muzzle. "Don't try to lie to me! Black Dawn is _**dead**_! You lot put an end to it 20 years ago when all those protestors started ragging on you about the human testing and whatnot!"

"Why did you think I needed to be _re-hired_, then?" Albert asked silkily. "They only wanted to keep the best, and the Eldridge Brothers were always and are _still_ the best. Unfortunately, I am the only one able to continue working. But I am still enough to train our new researchers and oversee new projects and test subjects, as well as all other Sang Maudit-related affairs."

She gaped up at the rows of faces in utter disbelief and disgust. All those men had been thrown into Azkaban just so that the Ministry could cover up what was really going on – not a cancellation of Black Dawn, but a change of ownership. So instead of just donating funds and giving the occasional pat on the back, the Ministry now owned and operated it in total secret.

_People are still dying because of this… _Nyx thought, wanting to retch. _And everyone thinks it's over…_

Similar thoughts were creeping through Snape's mind as he felt every muscle in his body tensing up. It took all of his willpower to fight the driving, instinctual urge to run out of that room as fast as he could. His eyes scanned the onlookers in the benches around him desperately; a third were dressed in some sort of black uniform robes with an intricate "BD" sewn in stark white thread over their hearts. Snape barely needed to guess that these were the newer researchers in the program, here to observe their "specimen" while she was out on display so nicely.

Snape felt his pulse racing as his imagination painted a very clear picture of what would happen if they found out that there was another SM in the room. He wondered if they'd toss him in the cage with Nyx or if he'd have to wait until she was done using it. He had no idea about the silver running all through her body, but he was sure that the visible silver wasn't quite enough to totally restrain her. His imagination started running away with him again as he wondered what they could have done to her… He had expected her to come out kicking and screaming, and possibly dragging someone's corpse behind her because they rubbed her the wrong way, not half-dead and delirious.

Another thought popped into his mind that gave him a bit more hope. Snape remembered Nyx outlining the brilliant plan and how there was no way it could fail; it made sense, considering the fact that she was a pathological liar and a rather impressive actress. But how could she put herself through all this just to, basically, blow a raspberry at the Ministry? To a normal brain it sounded ludicrous, but to Nyx…perhaps not. There was only one way to find out if she was really serious about that brilliant plan, and that was to wait and see what happened. And that was just what Snape did.

Nyx had accepted that Black Dawn was not gone, though she wished there was something she could do to destroy it for good, and had stopped straining against the cables. She was hanging off the cages limply just like when they first brought her in. But the fact that she had shown so much extra energy and even screamed at them, despite all the restraints, had grabbed Sophia Luca's interest by the throat.

She leaned forward in her seat, on the other side of Scrimgeour, and stared down at Nyx curiously. The SM only glanced up for a moment to get a good look at her before she let her head droop again. The new leader of Black Dawn couldn't have been much over 30, judging by her face, which was wreathed in sunny, golden waves of hair that made Nyx feel absolutely ill. The friendly smile curving Sophia's strawberry-hued lips meant nothing once she saw her eyes; gray windows into an empty, sadistic soul.

"How are you feeling, Miss Harthcrow?" Sophia asked in an airy but pleasant voice.

"Fan-fucking-tastic," she growled.

"Oh my. What a mouth you have," the other woman said bemusedly. "Since you're so full of energy, yelling and screaming, making outrageous remarks, and offending myself and (no doubt) others with your less-than-appropriate language, I suppose a small reminder is in order."

As Nyx lifted her head to give her a bewildered look, Sophia waved her wand once, and the contraption on top of the cages sprung to life, sending several thousand volts of electricity through Nyx's helpless body. Her senses went black as her mind reeled in confusion, until she "came to" again, feeling dizzy and tingly and a bit like burnt toast.

Before Nyx could ask, Sophia said in a despicably smiley tone, "That, my dear, was a reminder that _**we**_ are in control here – _**not you**_. So if you would kindly cooperate with us, we won't have to do that _ever_ again. Okay?"

The SM let her dark hair hang over her face as she glared at the bloodstained floor, trying to suppress the urge to scream in rage and frustration since it would only wreck her already-damaged throat and strain her withered lungs. She wouldn't give that damnable woman the satisfaction of an answer.

The head of Black Dawn watched her for several moments in silence until chirping, "Well, I'll take that as a yes! Please continue with the preliminaries, Minister."

Scrimgeour stared a bit, then shrugged and cleared his throat. "Where was I…Oh, yes. The charges against the accused are as follows: That she did knowingly, deliberately, and in full awareness of the illegality of her actions murder Narcissa Malfoy with the intention of feeding on her, at which time she was not in possession of a blood ruby, nor had she made herself known to the Ministry."

Looking down at Nyx, he continued, "You are Ariana Harthcrow?"

"You seem to think so," she muttered.

"Yes or no answers only, please," Sophia sang.

"Then for the sake of not confusing you morons, yes, I am."

"You are responsible for Narcissa Malfoy's death?" the Minister asked a bit more sharply.

"Yes, but it was unintentional," Nyx replied quietly.

"You heard Professor Luca – _yes or no answers only_. Anything else you say will be disregarded at this time," Scrimgeour snapped. "Now, you are aware that, intentional or not, causing the death of a human being is illegal?"

"Yeah, yeah…"

"You know that by wearing a blood ruby, an SM's thirst for blood can be effectively controlled?"

"Of course."

"You are aware that under the Blood Ruby Act, all SMs are required by law to be in possession of a blood ruby at _all_ times?"

"I am _now_."

"The Blood Ruby Act was passed almost twenty years ago," Albert sniffed. "It is your duty as an SM to be aware of _**all**_ laws applying to your kind, and to either follow those laws or suffer punishment."

"As such, no clemency is available for violations of the Blood Ruby Act," Scrimgeour said. "Incidentally, why didn't you have one at the time?"

"I was in the process of looking for it, since I had lost it not too long beforehand, when I came across Narcissa Malfoy," Nyx replied. "That's all I really remember."

"How could you have _lost_ it?" Albert blurted. "Didn't you secure it or anything?"

"Of course I had it secured! My blood ruby is in the form of a pendant on a chain, which is long enough to wrap around my neck three times to make sure it doesn't come loose," she snapped. "One of the chain links was missing when I found it. Don't ask _me_ how it happened."

"Hmm… An unusual circumstance…" Scrimgeour said thoughtfully. "…but I stand by what I said before. Moving on, you know that all SMs are required by the Decree for Mandatory Sang Maudit Recognition to alert the proper Ministry departments of your disease upon contracting it?"

"No. I've never heard of anything stupider in my life."

"Then you have not been previously registered with the department as an SM?"

"Of course not, you twit."

"Need I remind you a second time that this sort of behavior will _not_ be tolerated?" Sophia asked, her gray eyes blazing, holding her wand at her side threateningly.

"'Remind' me all you like, sweetie. All it'll do is piss me off even more than I already am," Nyx said venomously. "Trust me, you don't want that."

"We'll see about that," her voice rang ice cold, flicking her wand violently and sending the SM into another electrocution-induced blackout. This time, it took nearly a full minute longer for her to come out of it, and when she did, she was _livid_. But it wasn't the volcanic eruption of anger that had so often happened before, especially around her minions. It was the opposite this time; a cold, seething anger that festered like a deep wound, getting worse and worse the longer it went untreated.

**The woman has no self-control, **the Beast laughed delightedly. **Wonderful! Simply **_**wonderful**_

Nyx didn't respond; she wasn't sure if she wanted to agree with him or not. She was still trying to catch her breath from the shock she received and she couldn't waste any energy by responding to him.

"So, I have to ask," Albert said, chin in hand. "Are there any extenuating circumstances regarding your lack of registry, too?"

"…what if I said that I contracted the disease before you were born?"

"Then I'd call you a liar," he replied.

"I'm older than I look, you know."

"You're a 6th-year – you can't possibly be over 17."

"I'm older than everyone in the Wizengamot combined, _boy_."

"I'll believe that if you can show me a birth certificate."

"They didn't have birth certificates when I was born, and even if they did there's no way it could have lasted this long."

"Then I don't believe you."

"I don't care whether you believe me or not since _**I**_ know I'm telling the truth. You asked me if there was a special reason I never identified myself, and I told you. I contracted the disease before that ridiculous law ever existed, so there's no way I could have told you about it as soon as I got it."

"Regardless," Scrimgeour interrupted. "You still should have notified us, and as such, you are not excused from _this_ charge either. "

"0 for 3," Sophia commented, grinning nastily. "You pitched a perfect no-hitter. Looks like you're going to be a permanent resident."

"What are you talking about?" Nyx asked.

"The accused has confessed to one act of murder, one violation of the Blood Ruby Act, and a lifelong violation of the Decree for Mandatory Sang Maudit Recognition," Scrimgeour declared. "The accused has been found guilty and has been sentenced to 500 years service in the Black Dawn program."

"No!" Snape gasped.

The rest of the group stared dumbly at either the Minister or Nyx, trying to comprehend what just happened. A ripple of murmurs spread through the courtroom after a moment of stunned silence, most of which were comments on how surprisingly short the trial had been.

"What…?" Arthur said quietly. "How can it be over…? How did they _prove_ she was guilty…?"

Scrimgeour answered that question for him. "The witnesses may be excused. Thank you for coming, though it seems we didn't require your testimonies after all."

Two figures rose in the benches to the Minister's left; a tall, pale young man with slicked-back platinum blonde hair, and a pale woman with a mass of dark, wild hair and a slightly vacant gaze to compliment her skull-like face.

"No trouble at all, sir," Bellatrix Lestrange replied, leading Draco towards the door by the arm. "We're just glad that Narcissa's soul can rest in peace now. But just because I didn't testify doesn't mean you can cancel our agreement early and try to arrest me before I even get out the door."

"I wouldn't dream of it," he said. "You may be a Death Eater, but you're still a human being."

Another wave of muttering passed through the crowd, many wondering why the Minister himself was letting a Death Eater walk away from him without trying to apprehend her. Every last voice was silenced when they heard someone laughing quietly. No one had to look far before they saw that Nyx was shaking a little as she chuckled.

"And just _what_ is so very amusing?" Albert demanded in a huff.

"Hehehehe…_you_ are, of course," Nyx snickered.

"Please, do elaborate," the elderly wizard replied, mocking her with a concerned gaze.

"You drag me down here and – hehehehahaha – torture me for five days straight – heeheeheeheehahahah – for _**one**__ murder_ –" She couldn't contain herself any longer and finally burst into hysterical laughter, and she would have collapsed if the cables weren't holding her upright. The Aurors surrounding the platform stared and took a step back, just in case she'd lost it.

"I'm not sure anyone else understands why this is so funny," Sophia said like a patient mother. "Could you please explain it for us?"

"…you…hehehaaahaaha…you forgot…heeheehee…the others…"

"What 'others'?" the head of Black Dawn inquired, turning her head to the side.

"Well…ahahahaha…two weeks ago…heehee…I ate a hundred werewolves…"

A short gasp traveled through the courtroom, skipping the small group that already knew about that particular detail.

"…ahahahaha…and back in February…heeheeheeheehee…I killed a thousand people…hehehahahaha…and a hundred Aurors…hahahahaha! At…At _**Azkaban**_! Hahahahaha! You called it- you called it _**Black Monday**_!"

Nyx burst into peals of shrieking laughter as many hearts skipped a beat. One heart in particular just about burst as he recognized that insane laughter.

"…no…no…it can't be…" he whispered, horrified.

"What's wrong, Emilio?" an Auror asked his shaking and terrified coworker.

"…it's…it's…it's the same…that night…" Emilio Massimo gasped, lone survivor of the Black Monday massacre at Azkaban on February 15th of that year. "…that's…the same…laughing…I heard…"

"A-are you sure?" his companion asked, glancing at the vastly amused Nyx.

Feeling the man's eyes, she suddenly stopped and turned her head to look directly at Massimo, who froze to his seat.

"Ah…my survivor," she said with a grin. "Happy to see me, dear friend?"

The Auror hiccoughed and whimpered.

"I don't believe this!" Scrimgeour yelled, more annoyed than anything else. "No one listen to her! She's only trying to scare you into believing these ridiculous stories!"

"Am I, now?"

Not a sound floated through the cavernous room except for that growling, rasping, bestial voice. It was neither male nor female. In fact, it wasn't even human.

Massimo began shaking and hyperventilating. Tears leaked out of the corners of his eyes as the horrific memories of that night flashed back into his mind. The 'thing' that killed 100 Aurors with a wave of its hand was right before him. They could all be dead in a fraction of a second. And there was nothing they could do to stop it.

Even the Minister was afraid now that Nyx was glaring at him with wide, staring, blood red eyes, grinning like a toothy demon and laughing like an asylum escapee.

"…1200 people…" a Wizengamot member breathed. "…she _confessed_ to killing that many people…right in front of us…"

"Did I say I was _done_?" Nyx hissed before chuckling darkly again. "There were also the 50,000 Nepalese I've killed over the past 20 years…20,000 of them died in a single night…I wiped that town clean off the map…heeheeheeheehehehahahaha…not to mention the thousands of others I've eaten over the years…"

Even the Weasleys and the others in their group were shocked and frightened now.

"And I suppose you're _**proud**_ of that, are you?" Sophia asked critically. The falsely sweet, motherly tone had dropped for the harsher one she was accustomed to using with her test subjects. "Being a crazed serial killer?"

"What does pride have to do with it? You asked me what other people I've killed, and I told you."

"Then what the devil is so _funny_?"

"I already told you…_**You**_ lot are what's making me laugh," the SM giggled. Sophia finally looked a bit uncomfortable. "I told you I'm older than all of you combined. Why would such an ancient monster have a small death toll? I use a lot of energy, you know. I need a loot of food to keep my strength up.

"And speaking of which…" Nyx began to eye the woman in a very disturbing way. "…I'm _**starving**_."

Suddenly, the caged woman let out a snarl of rage and tried to rip the silver cables out of their foundations. A panicked Sophia activated the electrocuting device and sent the maximum amount of voltage into Nyx's body. First the snarl turned into a shriek of pain, but soon it morphed back into howls of laughter. The Aurors flew into a frenzy, firing curse after curse at her, but it only made her laughter grow shriller and more deranged.

Harry felt horrid chills racing up and down his spine. Her laughter was reminiscent of Voldemort's, but hers was more terrifying. It was higher and more insane, though he could barely believe it himself.

As Nyx's chilling shrieks grew worse, Sophia made a last-ditch effort to silence the SM. She triggered every mechanism built into the cages designed to restrain its occupant. The cables and the cloth bands tightened to their full capacity, ceasing her movement. The spikes lining the inside of the cages shot out and impaled her mercilessly. A final jolt of high-powered electricity coursed through her broken body.

The head of Black Dawn saw Nyx's corpse-like state and was sure that she had succeeded…until the laughter returned, higher and more terrible than ever.

Sophia crumpled into her seat, knowing that there was nothing more she could do…that there was nothing _anyone_ could do…that if Nyx decided to attack…they would all-

No. How _could_ she attack? Laughing doesn't mean she has any strength left. Plenty of other SMs had been able to laugh at them even under this much torment. What made this one think she was any different?

As Sophia's hope returned, it was instantly rent in half with the silver cages.

The sound was deafening.

But how were they destroyed?

Nyx, of course.

But her arms and legs were restrained.

Yes, _those_ were restrained.

But not the black, fluid appendages that sprang to life from her back to tear the cages apart and heave them at the Aurors, many of which were too stunned to react and were crushed.

The ten shadow-like arms tore the silver spikes out of her body and threw them like darts at anyone they pleased. They ripped out the foundations of the cables and loosened the fabric strips of her arms and legs.

_Nyx was free._

Nothing moved. Nothing _could_ move. Not even those with Black Dawn, those who thought they were prepared for anything because they thought they had seen everything. But they had not seen Nyx.

She was not laughing anymore. Only smiling with the purest joy.

Two shadow-arms extended from her back and wrenched the courtroom door open.

"Leave," she said softly, but still in that horrible voice.

Snape stood and beckoned everyone in his little group to follow suit. They did, very cautiously.

Some 'audience members' were encouraged by this, and decided to try to escape as well. The shadow-arms put a stop to that by picking them up and flinging them with astounding force across the room, where they hit the walls with a sickening crunch.

"I wasn't talking to _you_," Nyx growled.

Snape had continued on to the door without hesitation, but the others were lagging behind, terrified that they weren't going to make it out. But, for Nyx's unusual mercy, they found themselves safely in the hallway. Hugging and kissing and sighs of relief ensued because they were all so happy to simply be alive. No one, not even Snape, knew why she spared them. Perhaps she was finally putting her inner kindness to use. Perhaps she finally decided to get along with them. Perhaps she wasn't entirely with it from all that torture, and didn't exactly know what she was doing.

In truth, it was only because she didn't want her meal interrupted by people she wasn't ready to kill yet. She brought them there because she needed reputable witnesses so that people would believe what she had said, and what she was about to do. Just like Emilio Massimo and Black Monday.

The shadow-arms slammed the door shut and fused it to the walls before retreating back into Nyx, who was chuckling lightly again.

"Well, well, well…" she said. "I almost thought you'd win for a moment, but…I see you've used up all your little tricks. Well done, fools. _Well done_." She applauded them cruelly.

"Now, before the buffet opens up," she continued. "There's an itty-bitty complaint I have about my identification number…" She extended her right arm and gestured to the burned-on numbers, 9950. "I'm awfully sorry to have to tell you this, but…well… You gave me too many."

Sophia and Albert stared in horror as the SM dug her nails into her arm, leaving a line of blood to cross out the first three numbers, leaving only the zero.

She then used that same hand to grab the front of the silver muzzle on her face, and wrenched it off with ease, tossing it to the ground. The bolts holding it in popped out of her temples noisily, and a tiny spurt of black blood followed them.

She started walking off the platform towards the Wizengamot. The silver jingled musically.

"Do you know who I am now, foolish fragile flower?"

Sophia's tearful whisper was heard with the jingling and the sobbing in the calm before the storm:

"…the Origin…"

--- to be continued in Chapter 35 : A Warm Place ---

* * *

_**I dedicate this chapter to Athena Kennedy. Rest in peace, buddy.**_

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (With exception of Nyx, SMS, the Beast, Sophia, Albert, Edgar, and anyone else I forgot.)

**A/N:** Holy god did this chapter take a long time to finish. -dies- I can't tell you how sorry I am for being so weak-willed that when I hit any little snag, I decided to stop for a little bit, and that turns into several months. I swear it will never happen again because since I started working on this chapter again (thank you dear cousin of mine for getting me back into it), I outlined the rest of the story, so now I should stay on track and not have to stop so often to figure out what the hell I'm doing. (I'm also outlining each individual chapter to make the writing process go faster and keep myself form wandering off into no-man's land.)

**General Notes: **The chapter title came frrm the song by Styx. I thought it was very appropriate, considering the situation. Plus it's a kickass song, so go look it up on YouTube or something if you're interested.

For the cages Nyx is put in, think of the cage Karkaroff was tried in in the GoF movie. That's where my inspiration came from. Also, Black Dawn uses silver cables instead of chains because the cables would be stronger and definitely more difficult to break, although the chain would admittedly look cooler...

Since Nyx's "outfit" is probably a bit difficult to picture, I drew it. The link is on my profile. :3 Speaking of which, some of you are probably thinking "that 'silver skeleton' thing sounds an awful lot like Wolverine, you cheater. DX" I can assure you that I saw X-Men long after I thought of that part, but it made me laugh when I noticed the similarity.

As far as the particulars of the trial itself, I used Harry's trial from OotP as a "stencil." If you have a copy of it, go read that part after reading Nyx's trial and you'll notice that it's almost the same. X3

Anyone who likes FMA should have laughed at the whole Albert and Edgar Eldridge thing. XD That's my little tribute to the series, dorky as it may be.

Sophia Luca...of all the characters I've created, I hate her the most, but in the best way. She's supposed to be like Umbridge, only prettier and smarter, though not by a whole lot. No genius would abuse Nyx like that and expect to live.

The 50,000-or-so Nepalese Nyx ate are Nepalese because Nyx technically lives in Nepal. Mt. Everest is in Nepal, and she lives within 2 or 3 miles of it, so there you have it. (The "20,000 killed in one night" will be explained in full in a chapter not too far off.)

**Preview: **Nyx returns to Hogwarts and finds out what has happened to Jack...and she is NOT happy. And someone has to make up for it. And their punishment is an ugly one.

**Final Words: **Hopefully this chapter made up for the long wait. I really am sorry as all hell about that... I expect to post chapter 35 sometime on Monday or Tuesday because I have a lot going on this weekend (I'll be doing 6 hours of volunteering a day at the local zoo, and my grandma from out of town is staying with us, and I know she wants to do stuff with us while I'm free), but I will have time to reply to reviews and such. I just might not be home when you send it. XD

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**---** **k**avi - **s**ama **---**


	35. Chapter 35: A Warm Place

Chapter 35 : A Warm Place

Three teachers opened the door to the Hospital Wing, strolling in with a purpose. Led by Dumbledore, Head Investigator, McGonagall and Slughorn followed close behind. The room was bright and airy, with a high ceiling and enormous arched windows all around to let in the sun or a breeze, or keep out the cold and rain. For a sick ward, it was a rather friendly, peaceful-looking place with soft, cottony white sheets on all the beds, which, to many a surprise, were actually quite comfortable.

And the local caretaker, Madam Pomfrey, who was as good at healing as she was kind made students feel less bad about getting sick during Potions, or getting injured during Charms when someone doesn't watch where they're _Wingardium Leviosa_-ing a sharp quill. She was an understanding woman because she had seen so many accidents, and heard so many apologies from students who had simply made an honest mistake, that she was perfectly willing to care for a complete stranger when a teacher himself told her that he had been poisoned and nearly killed.

And it was that stranger that was lying silently on one of the white beds that morning, tucked in under a thin sheet as a breeze floated through the room, ruffling his black, feathery hair. His light, piercing blue eyes stared dreamily up at the ceiling, unmoving but occasionally blinking. Beneath the eyes were the usual dark rings of an insomniac due to perpetual worrying. The young man's pale skin was but a few shades darker than the sheets he was resting on, but the black clothes he was wearing stood out distinctly.

And it was because of Jack that the three teachers had come to the Hospital Wing. Suspicions had risen dangerously high when Madam Pomfrey informed the Headmaster of an unexpected arrival in her Wing. She said he looked familiar, but was certainly too old to be a current student. Snape had left him in her capable hands only two days ago with next to no explanation whatsoever. He merely commanded that she take care of him as best she can, and make sure that he stays alive. Snape had said something about poison and an odd word that sounded like "new Z's," which confused her for a good while. Madam Pomfrey didn't know about the Niuzif venom Jack had been poisoned with, and didn't understand why the cures she tried for someone in his condition weren't working.

"Good morning, Poppy," Dumbledore said pleasantly. The nurse appeared out of her small office near the door, but didn't look completely delighted to see them.

"Morning, Headmaster. Minerva, Horace," she gave a nod to each in turn before stopping to think. "A-are you sure you need to do this so soon? He isn't ready at all –"

"I am sorry, Poppy, but unless his condition has been improving, I am afraid that I have no choice but to do this as soon as possible," he replied earnestly. "If he is becoming well, then we shall gladly wait until he is feeling less under the weather."

Madam Pomfrey looked from the old man to the young one on the bed, and relented. "…all right. But be gentle with him, he's in no fit state to experience any stress whatsoever!"

"We shall not take long," Dumbledore said briskly as he turned to walk over to the side of Jack's bed. McGonagall stopped at the old wizard's side while Slughorn moved to the other side and sat down on the bed, looking slightly nervous and sheepish, like a child whose mischief was about to be discovered.

"Good day to you, sir," Dumbledore began in an even voice, close to Jack's head. "Can you hear me well?"

No response.

"Oh, dear. This may be more difficult than we thought," Dumbledore said quietly. Raising his voice a bit again, he repeated, "Can you hear me? Please blink for a 'yes.'"

Again, no response…until finally Jack blinked very slowly.

"Can you speak at all?" McGonagall asked loudly, leaning in towards his ear.

Jack neither blinked nor spoke. In fact, he had not moved one bit since they came in.

"I say, old boy, is there any way you can tell us who you are?" Slughorn now queried, acting wonderfully. He begged Dumbledore to bring him along since he instantly knew who the strange man was from the description Madam Pomfrey gave. It was difficult for him to keep his mouth shut, but if he could convince the other two that interrogating Jack was a waste of time, they could all leave and he wouldn't have to fear a slip of the tongue and Nyx's wrath.

Jack's eyes barely glanced in the fat man's direction, but all three noticed it. He got their hopes up, but still said and did nothing.

The aged witch suddenly trotted off to the tiny office and said, "Poppy, is this man dumb? He doesn't seem to be able to speak."

"He most certainly is _not_ dumb!" she replied, a little offended at her bluntness. "He asked me for water this morning, but I could barely hear him, he was so quiet and had such a hard time of it."

McGonagall looked over at the bed with a critical eye. Was there some unpleasant reason this young man didn't want to speak to them?

Dumbledore said gently, "We are not here to torture information out of you or make you uncomfortable with our presence. We only wish to know who you are and what has brought you to our school. We will not force you to speak, but it may be in your best interest to do so. Hogwarts welcomes everyone in need of refuge, but I think you will be here for a long time unless someone comes to find you, or you tell us if we can do anything to help. You are more than welcome to stay, but if you would like us to contact someone for you, how can we ask them to come here without even giving them a name? I would think that it is only fair that your caregiver, at the very least, know what to call you."

Jack considered this calming approach carefully. If he did not already know that Slughorn and Snape were on his side, he may have put his trust in his former Headmaster. He shook his head slowly, which, in his current state, was quite a feat, and quite a waste of his strength. When his head came to rest in the center of the snowy pillow again, he had to take a few larger gulps of air, though it did him little good. Madam Pomfrey hovered nearby, watching him carefully in case he needed something.

"That is unfortunate that you do not trust us enough yet," Dumbledore sighed. "Very well. I shall be back in a few hours. I would like very much for us to talk a little, even if it is not with words."

The 24-year-old on the bed did not try to look at the two former Gryffindors as they began out of the room. Slughorn lingered a bit, trying to catch his eye, at which he succeeded. The walrus-like man gave Jack a thumbs-up that would not have been very encouraging even if Jack had been able to see it. Slughorn surely had no real idea of what sort of shape he was in.

Madam Pomfrey watched the Potions Master shut the door quietly as she stepped lightly over to the bed. "Sorry about them disturbing your rest," she said.

Jack's low, hoarse voice could barely be heard, even in the silent room: "…'s all right."

She sighed in exasperation. "Now, why on earth wouldn't you say something to _them_?"

"…hurts…" he whispered.

"Well," she huffed, "it can't have hurt _nearly_ as much as shaking your head like that."

Jack fell silent and motionless as a statue again. His eyelids drooped until they darkened his vision.

"Before you doze off, wouldn't you _please_ eat something? You look dreadful, and you must be so weak… You haven't wanted a thing I've given you for the past 2 days, but you won't tell me what you'd like! I'm very worried about you…"

He wanted so badly to yell at her, tell her to mind her own business. If he wasn't hungry, he wouldn't eat. It was certainly not unusual behavior.

Madam Pomfrey knew this, but to go without food for over two days was ridiculous. In his condition, the weaker he got from lack of food (though he did drink water now and then) the worse off he would be. But, in his condition, she couldn't force-feed him no matter how much she wanted to. He would almost certainly choke.

Jack was painfully aware of that. Not eating was his _conscious_ decision. Starving or dehydrating was the only way he could kill himself now, and starving somehow sounded like the better choice of the two. He knew he had to do it somehow; Nyx would be completely furious when she saw him, and for all he knew, she'd kill him herself anyway. And why shouldn't she? He was broken like an old toy, unusable and useless, a waste of space and energy. No one loves broken things.

There was a terribly simple answer to all of his strange behavior during his "interrogation." Having been paralyzed completely from the neck down, Jack could not move his arms and legs, and neither could he feel them. Having been almost completely deafened in both ears, he could barely hear. Having had parts of his lungs fail, he could hardly breathe let alone speak. Having been almost totally blinded in both eyes, he could hardly see past his nose. Having had his sense of smell burned away, and his sense of taste melted off his tongue, food no longer held any simple pleasure for him.

But his brain worked. And his heart worked. Curse the devil that poisoned him because his brain and heart were perfect. Snape should not have stopped that poison. He should have let him die there on the cold, stone floor. Death must have been more bearable than this.

He would be so happy then… So happy…

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A whirling cloud of black smoke descended on the school, flying near the ground, and suddenly sucked itself through an open window into the gloomy DADA classroom. The sooty stuff dispersed throughout the room and collected in thirteen spots, slowly compressing into dark shapes. As suddenly as it came, the smoke vanished with a puff to reveal ten rather freaked-out people, and three that looked as if nothing at all had happened.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George, Bill, Fleur, Molly and Arthur seemed very unhappy with the way they had been brought back to Hogwarts. Lupin didn't seem too bothered, Snape ignored them, and Nyx looked positively giddy.

"She must have teleported all of us," Hermione said excitedly. "Vampires can do that, you know. And it's not the same as apparation, so she can do it within Hogwarts."

"I do not see why we 'ave to be in such a dark and dreeary place," Fleur sniffed. Bill put his arm around her but didn't look awfully sympathetic.

Snape watched Nyx trot off into his office and heard her start rummaging through his clothes, jingling all the way. She returned momentarily, wearing a smaller set of Snape's usual black robes to hide the restraining outfit. She hadn't bothered trying to take it off; the silver was in too deep and too tightly joined together to remove it bit-by-bit. It would have to be done all at once, and she knew that she'd need some help with it. She had also produced a cosmetic cover-up to hide the vicious, black burn marks on her face, neck and hands.

"You lot can make yourselves at home in here, I should think," Nyx said briskly. "You are not to leave this room until I personally tell you otherwise. I will send a house-elf up to feed you later."

Furious, Harry blurted, "Why the hell did you make us go to that trial?"

The SM smirked and replied, "Because I needed a lot of good, trustworthy witnesses. The things I did during that trial were quite unpleasant, and I want to make sure everyone believes me when I tell them about it."

"So did you really do all this for the reason you told me a few days ago?" Snape asked.

"Yes," she answered. Seeing the confused looks on everyone else's faces, she explained, "I felt that I needed to teach the Ministry a lesson for messing around with SMs, and especially for messing around with me. Once I heard that Black Dawn was still alive and kicking, I had to destroy that, too. I don't care for the idea of such a thing existing.

"Oh, and before I forget," she added as she neared the door. "I happened to leave a few survivors so that I could have someone to kill later. I had to chuck them outside pretty quickly, though, because I imploded the Ministry building right after we left."

Blank stares met her eyes. "…w…were there people inside…?" Molly asked in a small voice.

"Of course there were, you silly girl," Nyx said contemptuously. "Why would I have done it otherwise? I want the Ministry killed, and I have accomplished that."

Arthur staggered and sat himself on a desk, looking completely lost. So many friends were gone… All of his work was gone…

"Now, if there are no more bothersome inquiries, I must be off," the SM said lightly, turning and skipping into the hall. Snape followed after her and felt his heart give an unpleasant jerk when she turned in the direction of the Slytherin common room.

**Well, well, well,** the Beast mused in her ear. **This has been quite the picnic.**

_Indeed_, replied Nyx. _Went rather well, didn't it?_

**It did, it did. And I'm simply thrilled that you allowed me to assist you. You know what a treat it is for me to get outside.**

_Well, you've been behaving lately, and I wanted to give them a good show._

**Oh, yes, our voice. Scared the life out of our survivor when he heard it. **

_Having those eyes of yours helps, too. Bit difficult to blink with them, but it's worth seeing their faces._

**I'm very pleased that we understand each other better nowadays, Nyxie. Before Black Monday, we used to bicker so dreadfully…**

_Yeah. I right loathed you back then. After we teamed up to destroy Azkaban we've gotten along rather swimmingly, wouldn't you say?_

**Yes, and I quite like it better this way. As they say, "United we Stand, Divided we Fall." I think we ought to be friends. We have so much in common, you know, besides the body. **

_True… I suppose it wouldn't hurt to stay on good terms with one another. The boost in power is certainly worth listening to the way you talk. You sound like Edgar._

The Beast laughed. **That's funny… I was sure I picked it up from you. At any rate, are we agreed to put the past behind us and make nice once and for all?**

_Certainly. Now that that's settled, do you mind being called "Beast" or do you want a new name?_

**I must say, "Beast" is rather grating on my nerves… I shall think of something and report back.**

_Have a good sleep, then._

"Where are you going?" Snape asked nervously, yanking Nyx out of her own head.

"To go talk to Jack while I still have time to. I promised to tell him the truth when I got back, so that's what I'm going to do," she replied curtly.

Snape fidgeted, rooted to the spot. "…w-wait!"

Nyx whirled around and glowered at him.

"He…he's not there."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jack wasn't sure how long it had been since the teachers left. He had tried to get some sleep, but his mind just wouldn't let him. He was about to get Madam Pomfrey's attention and ask for a sleeping potion when out of nowhere, he miraculously heard an enraged scream from within the castle. He knew that whoever screamed must have been terribly angry because he had managed to hear it fairly well.

A small voice in his head told him that Nyx must be back. She was the only person Jack knew that could scream that loud when she was upset.

Sure enough, barely moments later, Nyx came tearing into the Hospital Wing looking slightly mad with her hair flying everywhere. Madam Pomfrey rushed out of her office in confusion to see her leap over other beds to reach Jack's and slumped to the floor, panting and looking scared.

"…you're…_**alive**_," she said breathlessly, leaning against the bed. "…thank…god…"

Jack didn't know what to say as he squinted in a vain attempt to see her face. Did she know what happened?

"Severus…told me…everything…" she added. "I'm so…so sorry…I wasn't here…"

"I'm sorry I let it happen," he said quietly.

"Don't you _**dare**_ blame yourself!" Nyx suddenly yelled. "This is _**not**_ your fault! Do you understand me?"

"But," he started, coughing a little. "Aren't you angry with me?"

"Of _course_ not, you idiot! Why would I be angry with you when you almost _died_?" she said, exasperated. "I'm not angry and I'm not going to leave you here for dead. Speaking of which, I won't put you out of your misery, either, so don't ask."

_Does she not realize what happened to me? Or is she pretending that I'm not as bad off as it seems?_ He thought in a mix of confusion and disbelief.

"Why won't you kill me?" Jack asked softly. The question jarred Nyx badly. "If you know what happened, you know I'd be better off dead. I'm a step away from being a bloody _vegetable_. I'm as useless as Sakura's father when he's drunk, and you know just how drunk _he_ can get!"

"It isn't up to _you_ to decide when you're useless to me," she snapped. "Now shut up before I sew your lips together. You talking looks extremely painful and I don't want you feeling –"

In a constricted voice, Jack interrupted, "Nyx…I'm _paralyzed_. I can't feel _anything_."

An icicle might have stabbed Nyx in the heart and it wouldn't have felt as bad as what he said. "…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. It's not your fault, so I should have taken my stress out on someone else. I know how you feel right now, believe me, I do. Not being able to see anything, hear anything, or feel anything other than the fact that you think you're helpless, hopeless and worthless…"

Jack scoffed under his breath and muttered, "You have no idea how I feel…"

With a sudden surge of rage, Nyx said very loudly, "Well, if _**someone**_ wasn't so utterly incompetent and stupid, you'd be perfectly _fine_ right now."

Her second-in-command looked around and saw a black blur that was undoubtedly Snape, politely asking Madam Pomfrey to leave the room for a while in case things got ugly. Laughing, Jack said as clearly as he could, "Oh, so it's the _**git's**_ fault! Well, I feel better already! Do me a favor and kick his ass in my honor, will you?"

"That won't be necessary," Nyx replied, getting to her feet, still glowering at the man at a distance behind her. "I'd rather let you do it yourself."

It took every ounce of his willpower not to scream at her that this was not a joke. Her optimism was a refreshing change, but this was just getting ridiculous. He had to say something before he burst, but as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, Nyx silenced him without a word of her own.

She had gently placed her hands on either side of his face and began reciting an incantation quietly. Jack couldn't hear what she was saying, but from the way her lips were moving, it didn't seem to be in any language he knew. Before he knew it, she was finished, and as she pulled her hands away, she allowed one nail to leave a small cut on his cheek. Jack's hand flew to the tiny wound as a reflex, but he immediately stopped, stunned that his hand hadn't remained motionless.

As Jack tested the rest of his limbs for a response, Nyx watched him with a small smile. Once it had fully registered that he was perfectly fine, Jack leapt out of the bed and hugged Nyx tighter than he ever had dared to before. To his alarm, she flinched, but it was out of pain rather than "eew, get away from me, you have cooties." Nyx had to suppress the cry of agony that went with the flinch as a sharp piece of silver in her chest pierced her lung.

She patted Jack on the back awkwardly and said in a strangled voice, "You're welcome."

Jack released her and gave her a somewhat apologetic look, but it was instantly replaced by an intensely worried and fearful one. "Oh my god, what _happened_ to you?"

"Oh…my eyes?" she asked weakly. They were still bloodshot and surrounded by shadows from 5 days without sleep. "I've had worse. Don't let it bother you…unless it's really that disgusting."

"No, it's not that. It's just…" He paused to look for the gentlest way to phrase it. "…making me worry about you." He didn't add that she looked smaller and frailer than he had ever seen her.

"Well don't," she said curtly. "You. Get over here. Now." She motioned for Snape to approach her, which he did, very reluctantly. Turning to Jack, Nyx asked, "Now, which would you prefer him to do: kiss your ass or lick your boots? Or you might prefer to have him as your personal slave for a week. Or I suppose you could just beat the daylights out of him…"

"Uh…what?"

"Dipshit here needs to make it up to you for what happened. For starters, he got the healing spell _**all**_ wrong, and it only _stopped_ the poison. If it's done correctly, the way I did it, it reverses the effect and neutralizes any poison still in your body so that it can't come back or make you sicker. Even worse is the fact that he waited a good while before starting it, which I can tell because you were in such a state." She glared at Snape again, who looked like he was trying to figure out how to make himself melt into the floor.

"I like the slave idea," Jack said, highly amused by Nyx's sense of justice. "It'll last longer than the other choices."

"Done!" Nyx sang. "Shall he start now or later?"

"I think now. I need a good laugh," he said, ginning nastily at his old Potions professor. "But until I need anything, go wait somewhere where I don't have to see you."

Snape sighed monstrously and growled, "Yes, Master," and shuffled off into Madam Pomfrey's office.

Jack snickered with delight. "It is going to be _**so**_ much fun ordering him around…"

"Glad you're enjoying it so far," Nyx said a little breathlessly. She started walking over to Jack's bed, limping slightly, and he heard the silver jingling.

"How much money are you carrying around? It sounds like a ton –"

"_Will you just mind your own damned business?" _Nyx snarled. "I'm _**fine**_! _Drop it_ already!"

Jack wanted to punch himself in the mouth for pissing her off again.

Sitting down on the bed, Nyx said gently, "I did it _again_. Sorry. I haven't slept in five days, so I'm a little bitchy."

"And I thought I had it bad when I hadn't slept in two days…" he murmured, taking a seat across from her on another bed. "Sorry for being so selfish."

"You have nothing to apologize for. My pain threshold is about five miles higher than yours, so I'm really not suffering that much. If I snap at you again like that, feel free to yell right back at me. I'd deserve it. But still, stop worrying about me. You're my second-in-command, not my mother. You ought to be more worried about yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"When I healed you, I'm pretty sure I removed all the poison, but since Severus screwed it up first, I can't be sure," Nyx explained, lying down on the white sheets. "It's more dangerous than I think you realize.

"It's called Niuzif. It comes from a dreadful monster that's rarely seen, especially nowadays. I don't know much about them myself, but I know plenty about the poison, which is actually a type of venom. Surprisingly, it doesn't have an offensive use like a snake that uses its venom to kill its prey. It's defensive, sort of like a tropical frog with poisonous glands in its skin. This monster eats humans and large animals regularly, and it has a very large mouth, so it often eats them whole. The Niuzif is injected into its prey as it is swallowed to make absolutely sure that it's dead before it gets to the stomach so that it can't hurt the monster from inside, even in the stomach, which is full of highly corrosive acids.

"Niuzif works very, _very_ quickly, as you know. The monster's throat muscles purposely work slowly to give the poison time to work; thirty seconds to a minute is all it takes. It shuts down your body organ by organ until you're dead, starting with your nervous system and ending with your heart. Your senses are the second thing to go, and your brain is the second last thing to go. That's why you sustained the damage you did. Yes, things could have been worse, but Severus knew that he should have healed you immediately as soon as he recognized the signs. I don't know why he didn't, and now that you're okay, I don't particularly care.

"Niuzif is probably the most difficult poison to kill someone with because it's nearly impossible to get, and even if you can, you might have to sell your soul for it, it's so expensive. The monster has a hollow spike at the very, very back of its tongue, right where its mouth and throat meet. That's where Niuzif comes from. Trying to get it straight form the monster is suicide unless you somehow trick it or sedate it for long enough, and even then you probably won't live to tell much about your daring deed.

"My point is that whoever tried to kill you must feel a record-breaking amount of hate towards you for the lengths he or she went to. Niuzif is considered a form of torture because it doesn't kill you instantly, and since your brain takes a while to shut down, you have to go through all of it fully aware of what's going on. It probably deserves a spot in my list of "Top 15 Most Horrible Ways To Die.""

"But, how did it get in me when I didn't know about it?" Jack asked, very humbled by just how close he had come to death.

"If I were trying to kill you with Niuzif, this is what I would have done," Nyx replied, seeming to enjoy herself as she explained. "I can't say how they got the poison, though, so we'll leave that part out. I would have injected it into an animal and killed it, then placed the body near the school. The poison stays fresh in the corpse for quite a while, actually. I would expect you to eat it while in your raven form, since they're scavengers, and then just wait for you to die. Did you eat anything before you started getting sick?"

"Yeah. That explains why there was a dead cow in the forest," he said. "But I ate about four hours before I collapsed. I thought you said it worked within a minute?"

"Your assassin must have used some sort of catalyst to slow it down… I wonder why, though," Nyx muttered. "Maybe they thought they'd get to see you die if they timed it right… If that's the case, then they must have made a mistake because you were with Severus when it happened. Incidentally, I _know_ he didn't do it. If he had gotten any Niuzif, I would have found out."

Jack massaged his temples and groaned, "I can't imagine anyone who could know me so well and hate me so much! I thought I usually got along with people." Suddenly his face lit up. "Wait a minute… My father was poisoned too! That's how _he_ died. My aunt, his sister, was with him… She answered the phone with her back to him, and she was only on for a minute, but when she turned around he was already gone… When they did the autopsy, they couldn't figure out what did it… Do you think it was the Niuzif stuff?"

"Considering the suddenness of your father's death, and the fact that they didn't identify the poison still in his system," Nyx replied, "then, yes, I'd say it's a very good possibility. I assume they didn't find the murderer?"

"No, not even after all these years," he muttered, remembering how furious he had been when he didn't know who killed his beloved father. "…maybe…maybe whoever did that was the same one that tried to kill me…and maybe that was the same person that killed Anna…I don't think Niuzif killed her, but still…"

"That would make perfect sense if someone had a vendetta against your family, but it seems highly unlikely that one person could get enough Niuzif to try to kill two people. You'd be surprised how much it takes to kill an average, healthy human being…" She paused to think a little more, but said in a tired voice, "We can discuss this more later on. I'm exhausted and starving and my brain doesn't want to cooperate with me anymore."

"I know how you feel," Jack replied with a small smile. "Oi! Greasy! Get over here!" he shouted over his shoulder.

Snape barely peeked out of the little office, giving the younger man the most impressive death glare he could muster. _**"…what?"**_

"We're hungry, and _you_ are going to feed us," he said, taking full advantage of his new authority over the forlorn man stalking nearer to him. "What would you like?"

"Pitcher of ice water and a bag of Oreos, if you please, Sevvy," Nyx told Snape, grinning at him.

"And _your_ order, _**sir**_?" he sneered.

"Medium steak – no, I _don't_ care that it's 10:00 in the morning, I want a damn steak – and a whole bottle – yes, I said the _whole_ bottle, I really need it today – of the best red wine you have," Jack said, still looking very pleased with himself.

"I'm going to have to steal the wine form the teachers' personal store, you know," Snape grumbled.

"That's all right, I'll remember to blame it all on you," he replied lightly, smiling pleasantly. "Oh, and before you leave…" He grabbed Snape's black sleeve and pulled him over to give him an extra command that Nyx couldn't quite hear. She could see that it was not a pleasant one as the professor's face slowly drooped and assumed the look one would have if one's face were about to be run over by a lawnmower.

When Jack was finished and released him, Snape gave him a pleading look, but Nyx's minion merely turned to her for backup, and with a single look, the DADA teacher scampered out of the room, seemingly close to tears. Immediately, Jack began laughing enthusiastically, pausing only to tell her, "Now I know why you love being in charge."

When he calmed himself down, he asked, "Incidentally, why didn't you order a Bloody Mary like usual?"

"I haven't drank anything in five days, and I'm more concerned with quenching my thirst than having something that tastes good," she replied with a slightly bitter tone. "Water will be best to re-hydrate myself with. The Oreos are just to cheer me up. I'll have real food at the buffet later."

Nyx left him to ponder what buffet she was referring to, but Jack soon forgot about it because their food had arrived (Hogwarts was known for it's exceptionally speedy food service). As soon as she saw what was bringing it in, Nyx almost fell off the bed, roaring with laughter and crying because her stomach hurt so much.

Snape had been ordered to dress up in an altogether much-too-skimpy waitress outfit, complete with a sickeningly pink ribbon tying his hair back, precariously high heels, and two massive grapefruit stuffed into a bra. Jack's eye was twitching and he thought he might have lost his appetite permanently from seeing Snape's twiggy, white, and very hairy legs, but he kept his composure and let Nyx enjoy herself at Snape's expense.

As this incident had now become his new worst memory, Snape did not stay in the room long enough for Nyx to stop laughing. Once she did, she heartily thanked Jack for giving her such a perfect pick-me-up. "After that I almost feel bad for him, but when I remember why I made him suffer whatever punishment you saw fit, I don't have a single problem with it."

"Why ib dat?" Jack asked through a mouthful of steak.

"Because his carelessness almost cost me something invaluable – _you_, I mean. If you had died…I don't even _know_ what I'd do," she said.

Jack felt extremely touched by that, but he was too hungry and the steak was too delicious for him to stop and say something. His master watched in awe as he wolfed down the entire thing, and downed nearly all of the wine in a matter of minutes as she sipped the water and munched a few Oreos. After he was finished, he leaned back and relaxed, commenting on how full and contented he was. Nyx had also started getting comfortable, but due to her lack of sleep, she almost dozed off right into her cookies.

Jack noticed her struggling to stay awake. "Why don't you lay down and get some rest? I'll stay awake and make sure no one bothers you."

"No," she said suddenly. "You come over here."

As he obeyed, she chugged the rest of the gloriously refreshing water and hid the remaining Oreos under her pillow. She waved her hand and the bed widened until it was big enough for two, and Nyx motioned for Jack to get in next to her. He felt his pulse jump a bit, but acted normal as if he was obeying a typical order.

"You stay here and keep me warm. I'm bloody cold," Nyx said, snuggling herself under the sheet and into the soft pillow.

Jack smiled and slid in next to her, not remembering that it was almost summer and quite a nice temperature outside. He was tired too, and knowing who was right next to him would surely let him sleep peacefully. Within a few moments, Nyx was already out cold, and she was already clutching Jack's nearest arm protectively, and with her other hand, lacing her fingers with his. He draped his free arm across her, placing a hand on her back and pulling himself closer, feeling like everything was right with the world.

Just as he was about to doze off himself, he sensed the presence of a spirit nearby. Jack looked around, and was pleasantly startled to see a semitransparent man in his forties, with slightly peppered black hair, and chocolate-brown eyes looking back at him with a pleasant smile.

"Dad?"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Over an hour later, Jack's deceased father departed, and his son reflected on their long conversation. Anna had overheard he and Nyx discussing how their father, Marc Corbeau, died, and sent the man himself over. Marc confirmed Jack's suspicion that he had been killed with Niuzif, and when his son asked who did it and why, the ghost tried to lie his way out of it and failed. Having been so accustomed to Nyx's behavior, Jack was getting good at identifying an untruth.

But even though he had been caught, Marc refused to tell about his killer, because, "You're my son. I know what you'd do and I will _not_ watch you die because of this." Jack was becoming increasingly irritated by his over-caring family; first Anna was keeping things from him, and now his father was, too. The transparent Frenchman reassured him that he would know the truth soon enough, and things would turn out just fine. Jack desperately wanted to ask him more, but his father wouldn't say another word.

Marc noticed the woman clinging to his son, and couldn't help but smirk. He congratulated him on achieving such a high rank in the pecking order, despite his age. His father also offered his compliments for having such a good relationship with such an otherwise unpleasant person, which led him to add that it really went to his credit that he ignored what people like Snape said about her, and treated her the way he thought she should be treated. Marc said that he was very proud to not have a doormat for a son ("Gee, thanks, dad."). He encouraged Jack to continue the way he was because the rewards would be well worth any aggravation.

…but right after he said that, he made an amendment to his suggestion: "Perhaps you ought to start putting a bit more faith in Nyx, and stop being so damn paranoid. You seem to think you're not worth the woman's time, but wasn't it _**you**_ that she brought to Hogwarts for the whole year? And think about _this_; isn't this the _**third**_ time she's willingly slept in the same bed as you? You must be doing _something_ right."

Jack didn't find it nearly as amusing as his father did. "Just quit while you're ahead, dad. You're starting to sound like Anna, and right now, that's not a compliment."

But Marc quickly reassured him that he, Anna and his mother, Rebecca, all approved of Nyx and were rooting for him all the time. (Jack wasn't sure if he was pleased to hear it or not. He didn't know about his mother, but he recalled the Corbeau side of the family to be a load of perverts, and that could lead to some very awkward moments.)

Jack was actually more surprised than worried to hear that his family was backing him up. He asked if they all knew she was a pathological liar among other things, and Marc replied that they've "known everything about her, down to when the last time she clipped her toenails was, pretty much forever." Now Jack was more confused than ever; he never really thought that Nyx was the type of girl to bring home to your parents, let alone the type your parents would be thrilled to have for a daughter-in-law. Marc gave a less-than-satisfactory explanation; "We just think you two would look very nice together."

Jack retorted that whether they looked nice or not, he wouldn't "get with her" until she stopped lying to him. If it weren't for that, he would have already thrown himself at her feet and screamed, "Take me, I'm yours!" But his father again told him not to worry because soon, the lies would be a thing of the past. Jack could hardly believe _that_, but he was more curious how much the ghost was predicting for his future.

Before he could ask, Marc explained that no, he couldn't see the future, but he _had_ heard form a very dependable source about _Jack's_ future. Just as he opened his mouth to ask a million questions, his father insisted that he had already said far too much, especially since he wasn't supposed to know any of this in the first place. Jack quietly accepted it and didn't try to annoy it out of him. He thanked him for his encouragement and advice, which he planned to take into serious account since he loved and trusted his father, and the rest of his family, too, for that matter.

At that moment Nyx had murmured something in her sleep and pulled Jack even closer, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and snuggling her head under his chin (he admitted to himself that the awkward angle made his neck sore, but it was worth it). He noticed that that dark shadow still circled her eyes. He asked Marc if she'd get any healthier, happier, and more peaceful any time soon. All his father could say was, "Storm clouds must rage before you can see the sun again."

Jack was rather depressed to hear it and unconsciously started rubbing his master's back gently as if to comfort her. He almost wanted to ask more, but was afraid that he'd hear something dreadful, so he kept quiet. Marc took the conversation to a happier place and told Jack about how his mother was doing and how things have been for the past 8 years.

But after an hour, Marc saw that his son was about to doze off in the middle of his sentence, and decided that it was time for him to leave so he could get some well-needed rest. Jack sleepily thanked him for coming and promised to beg Nyx to resurrect his parents as well. Marc truly appreciated it, but before he left, his son stopped him with a final heartfelt question; "Do you think I could see mom sometime?"

Marc said he would try, but because of the way Rebecca died, it could be difficult to get her to him. But Jack begged him to figure something out because he _desperately_ needed to see her; it felt like a violation of his human rights to never have met his own mother.

After bidding each other farewell, Jack got himself as comfortable as possible, and was soon sound asleep, with Nyx still clinging to him like a magnet.

Three hours passed, and the 24-year-old awoke to find himself alone. In a slight panic, he sat up and visually searched the room, and calmed down when he saw Nyx standing by a window, watching something very interesting on the grounds outside. As he slipped out from under the light sheet and approached her, he asked, "Did you sleep well?"

"Well enough," she replied distractedly, still staring out the window. "I would have slept longer if I hadn't been woken up."

"Oh. Did I kick you or something? Sorry," Jack laughed quietly.

"You sleep like a dead man. You couldn't hurt a fly," she said, smiling.

Just as her minion leaned over to look out the window and see what was so fascinating, the Hospital Wing's door flew open and four teachers rushed in, again led by Dumbledore, followed by McGonagall and a rather winded Slughorn. Snape brought up the rear, still looking ashamed of himself for wearing that awful waitress outfit, which he had promptly burned. Jack was rather disappointed at the sight since he absolutely did not want to be interrogated again, especially now that Nyx was there with him. She ignored the intrusion and kept on peering outside.

Stopping a short distance from her, the Headmaster said clearly, "I think you owe me some explanations, Miss Harthcrow."

"And I think _you_ need to bugger off before I curse you unrecognizable. I'm in no mood to suffer any more idiots today," she retorted pleasantly.

"Did you kill Narcissa Malfoy?" Dumbledore demanded.

"Of course I did," Nyx said, refusing to look at him.

"Were you convicted at your trial this morning?"

"Of course I was."

"Is this young man with you?"

"Of course he is."

"Was he a Slytherin here eight years ago?"

"Of course he was."

"Are you really Ariana Harthcrow?"

"Of course I'm not."

"Have you been at Hogwarts before?"

"Of course I have."

"Do you simply dislike me or are you always this rude?"

Nyx laughed, suddenly changing the subject, "Do guests at Hogwarts need to have little visitors passes? If they do, I certainly hope you have enough for over 5,000 people…"

She stepped away from the window, chuckling to herself, and watched everyone else crowd around it and gasp in horror. A mass of black robes and white masks were pouring onto the school grounds out of the dark forest, surrounding the entire building. A faint crack sounded when each one appeared just beyond the tree line.

"That's odd," Nyx mused, seemingly thinking aloud. "It seems that someone's lifted the Anti-Apparating Barrier on the school, and now it's becoming infested with Death Eaters… And look, there's dear Voldymuffin leading the way. I wonder who could have done such a thing…"

As the teachers gaped out the window, the SM tugged at Jack's sleeve to quietly tell him to follow her out into the hall, where she immediately began sprinting towards the grounds. He transformed into his raven form and flew alongside her as she laughed, "Looks like we're in for a busy day. It's not even 2 o'clock yet."

"Why did you let _him_ in here? And _**how**_?" Jack asked, totally dumbfounded.

"All in good time, Jack, all in good time," she replied as she grinned.

"You _know_ that's never good enough for me," he said, giving her a pointed look.

She chuckled and gave in. "That's very true. I guess the simplest way to put it is that even a _castle_ knows better than to disobey me, so when I want something, I get it. And as for Voldymuffin…"

Nyx skidded to a halt in front of the massive doors leading outside. With a seemingly effortless push, she opened them wide and strutted out, as if she was daring any one of the Death Eaters waiting for her to curse her. She saw out of the corner of her eye the tall, thin, pale form of Voldemort, who looked astonishingly relaxed.

"As for _him_," Nyx finished as Jack turned back into a human. "There's no point in explaining now since you're about to find out."

--- to be continued in Chapter 36 : Living Dead Girl ---

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (With exception of Nyx, Jack, Louis, SMS, the Beast, and anyone else I forgot.) 

**A/N:** I've been waiting to do this chapter for so loooong! -glee- Yay for Jack for multiple reasons, the main one being that he is so damn nice! Yay nice people! -is hyper-

Kudos to my lovely betas, Tiff and Shan.

**General Notes:** The chapter title this time also came from a song, but this one's by Nine Inch Nails. It's all instrumental and I listen to it when I go to sleep (I need to have sound or I can't sleep, believe it or not), hence why I used it for the chapter where Jack and Nyx sleep together. Again. This one is also available on YouTube, and another song I recommend.

The "new Z's" thing was there because Niuzif is pronounced pretty much the same way, and Madam Pomfrey was confused the same way any magical person is confused about "policemen" being "please men." Just thought I should make that clear.

Dumbledore and Jack's other former teachers probably would have recognized him if he had been in better condition. Remember that he hasn't seen much sunlight in the past 8 years, so he's a lot paler than when he was a 7th-year. He's also currently very thin and sickly-looking, though he is thin normally but he wasn't such a twig when he was a student. Also, if Anna had been there with him, they would have known who he was right away, but since she wasn't, they didn't.

Because of Jack's condition, I'm sure you might be wondering "how did he go to the bathroom and stuff," and I didn't put anything in about that sort of thing because it wasn't important to the plot. But if you really need to know, all I can say is that I'm sure someone was able to use magic to solve any problems they might have had.

Also, if you were thinking about complaining because Jack was going "emo," consider for a moment his condition and how impossible it seemed for him to be healed. He knows perfectly well that Nyx is super powerful, but he doesn't know when and if she'll be back, and he doubts that even she could help him. And as you already saw, his suicidal intentions didn't stay with him. There will be probably only two more times where Jack does go emo temporarily, but it's always for a very clear reason.

The survivors Nyx chose will be back soon, so I'll keep their identities a secret for now. (It probably won't be who you're expecting...) Speaking of which, you get a cookie if you thought that Nyx and the Beast were eventually going to stop fighting. (I still haven't decided on a name for him yet, but I have a few options. If you want to give me your two cents on the matter, ask me about it in your review and I'll tell you the names I have in mind.)

The catalyst Nyx mentions with her Niuzif explanation is just like the ones you would use in chemistry. (The following is for the benefit of those who either have never taken chemistry in a class or sucked hard at it or forgot everything.) In that respect, a catalyst is a substance that is added to a solution to slow down or speed up a reaction. For example, if you wanted to make salt from Na (sodium) and Cl (chlorine) but the reaction takes 1 minute, you could add a catalyst to make it take 45 seconds instead. The more catalyst you add, the faster or slower the reaction.

Marc, unfortunately, didn't get "real" dialogue this time because if he had, this chapter would probably be about another 2,000 words longer, and as I said before, I'm really trying to cut down on size. Don't worry, he's a fun guy so he'll probably be back eventually. -wink, wink, nudge, nudge-

And if anyone thought of this, you get cookies. Jack's mom Rebecca was named after the character in the book Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier. I had to read it last year over the summer, and I actually really really liked it, so there's my little tribute to it. (And no, Jack's mom isn't a beautiful-but-horrible-on-the-inside person. She's very intelligent, and also beautiful, but she's ususally pretty reserved though she can certainly have fun. Had she survived the birth of her children, she would have been an excellent mother, and she was already an excellent wife. Hence why Rebecca was mourned so much and why Jack wants to meet her so badly.)

**Preview: **When will we ever find out what the deal with Nyx and Voldemort is? Next chapter, of course.

**Final Words: **I'm pretty dissapointed that I only got 3 reviews after so long... Maybe people are on vacation or busy in school/college. Or maybe they just forgot about this story completely. -shrug- Whatever. I know you guys won't be able to keep your mouths shut after next chapter, anyway. X3 -is excited-

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**---** **k**avi - **s**ama **---**


	36. Chapter 36: Living Dead Girl

Chapter 36 : Living Dead Girl

As if in a surreal nightmare, Dumbledore dashed out onto the lawn as fast as his old legs could carry him, exiting through a side door so that he would avoid detection until he assessed the situation. McGonagall, Sprout and Flitwick were close behind, all looking just as stunned as the Headmaster. Snape and Slughorn, who was once again out of breath from all this hurrying around, sneaked out behind them and crept closer to where Nyx was standing, leaning against a tree, looking a little tired. If worst came to worst, they wanted to be on _her_ side.

As their teachers raced out of their classrooms, students left inside began wondering what was happening. Once someone looked out a window, the news spread like wildfire, and within a few short minutes, every window overlooking the lakeside area of the school ground was filled with curious and frightened faces. Some were bold enough to follow their instructors outside, where they were immediately yelled at and sent back where they came from.

Once they realized what was going on, the group that had been present at Nyx's trial that morning left Snape's depressing classroom and headed out to join the show, picking up Luna and Neville on the way. Every one of them was prepared to fight whoever was going to attack, which wasn't exactly clear yet. Voldemort's five-thousand-plus Death Eaters were surely not there just to look pretty, but Nyx seemed to be in a very aggressive mood and may have returned to the school only to try to destroy it. She had already destroyed the Ministry that day, so what stopped her from doing the same thing here?

Dumbledore had been carefully sizing up the intruders when he noticed how many people were waiting behind him. "Where did all of _you_ come from?"

"It's a _long_ story, Professor, so let's save it for another day," Lupin said uneasily.

"_Potter_! And-and _Weasley_!" McGonagall gasped. "And – _Miss Granger_! What in heaven's name are you _doing_ out here?"

"We're here to help, Professor," Hermione explained, pulling out her wand and eyeing the black mass of Death Eaters surrounding them.

"You shall do no such thing," Dumbledore interjected. "All students will return to the school _immediately_." His tone clearly showed that he would _**not**_ be argued with.

"But we _can't_! Don't you see how outnumbered we are?" Harry asked, almost pleading. "We need everyone we can get right now!"

Nyx watched the young Gryffindor's desperation, becoming more amused by the second. Her pale green eyes roved up the side of the castle and glinted with delight when she saw how much attention she had drawn already.

Jack was much less pleased with the situation. They were by far the most outnumbered, despite the fact that Nyx was extremely powerful and Jack himself was nothing to sneeze at either. He couldn't help but glue himself to the tree, as if it would protect him at least on one side, standing right beside Nyx and waiting on pins and needles for someone to do _something_.

Voldemort did the honors. "I hear that you have killed one of my Death Eaters."

"That I did," Nyx replied proudly, breathing with some difficulty due to the sharp piece of silver wedged into her lung.

"In that case, I suppose I shall have to avenge her," the snake-like man said in his high, cold voice, not sounding overly enthusiastic about it.

"Sounds like fun, " she replied, grinning.

"I will not allow that," a different voice interrupted. Dumbledore had stepped forward and was now standing at one point in a triangle, the other two points being Nyx and Voldemort. "I must insist that you take your quarrel elsewhere. I will not have you endangering the lives of my faculty and students." His calm voice couldn't hide his anger at the nerve these two Dark Lords had.

"I suppose this area _is_ a bit smaller than I would like," Voldemort muttered, glancing around at the sprawling patch of green the size of three Quidditch fields, capped off at both ends by dense trees, and bordered by Hogwarts on one side and the darkly glittering lake on the other.

Nyx did not consider his comment. "_**Make**_ me."

Dumbledore stared, feeling his dislike for this young woman grow exponentially.

"You're going to have to kill me and toss my body elsewhere if you want to make me leave," she said nastily. "And personally, I don't believe you have the _guts_ to kill a woman, so I see nothing for me to worry about."

"If I must kill you to protect this school, and you will not listen to a reasonable request," the Headmaster replied very honestly. "Then I will do it, even though you are not even of age yet."

Voldemort's sudden outburst of laughter startled everyone but Nyx and the two Slytherins hiding behind her, snickering. The raven-haired Overlord chuckled quietly, smirking at the Headmaster. "You know, looks can be deceiving. I'm _far_ older than I seem, as well as far older than _**you**_. If my apparent age was all that made you hesitate, then now you shouldn't have to."

"In that case," Dumbledore said slowly. "I will gladly let you leave peacefully. It is common courtesy to respect one's elders – " Nyx frowned noticeably "- but I will still fight you, loath as I am to do so, if you insist upon causing trouble here."

Nyx cackled tauntingly. "He's afraid to fight me because he knows I'll tear him apart! HA!"

The silver-haired wizard's expression turned momentarily stony, but relaxed back into calm neutrality. "I would greatly prefer not to fight _anyone_ if it is unnecessary. But if your apparently hostile intentions are not directed elsewhere, I will not hesitate to defend this school and myself. I fear neither death nor you."

"Oh you _don't_, eh? I'll soon change _that_," Nyx hissed, highly incensed by Dumbledore's defiance. Stepping away form the tree, still limping slightly, she conjured the magnificent sword Jack had given to her for Christmas, which even now seemed years ago. The blade, thin but sturdy, ended in a deadly pin-like tip, with saw-toothed sections on both edges for extra pain. Intricate lines of that glowing red substance traced along the blade and down to the hilt, which was clutched tightly in its owner's hand.

"You are not going to use your wand?" Dumbledore asked, very surprised.

"If I don't want a bloody wand, I'm not using a bloody wand," she snapped. "I couldn't care less whether _you_ use one or not, but I would recommend at least a sword of your own. I want this to be a fair fight." No one was convinced.

Dumbledore turned to look in the direction of his office and everyone saw the brilliantly red Fawkes flying out of a window, carrying a ruby-encrusted sword in his talons. Nyx and Snape instinctively shrank backwards when they saw the phoenix drop Gryffindor's sword into his owner's open hands; they had not forgotten that a phoenix's cry, while it sounded beautiful to others, it was a free ride to insanity for any SM that heard it. They silently rejoiced when the bird returned to the Headmaster's office without making a sound, but their attention was returned to Dumbledore as he produced his wand and watched his opponent carefully.

Nyx suddenly smiled and declared, "Now that I've had a moment to think, I suppose I ought to even the scales as much as possible since it makes no difference anyway, and I want this to be a good show for our lovely audience." With that said, she snapped her fingers and all eyes became locked on the aged wizard, whose wrinkles began to stretch out, his silvery hair to darken, and his blackened arm to heal. In a minute's time, Dumbledore was back in his 20-year-old body. His hair had returned to auburn, and his beard had shrunk significantly, though his half-moon glasses remained on his crooked nose.

The much younger Dumbledore took a few moments to realize why everyone was gawking at him, and when he saw the changes she had made to him, he was speechless. It was more out of worry than amazement, though, because he suspected that Nyx had somehow made him weaker without his knowing. But Dumbledore decided not to question her, in case the Dark Lord thought he was being ungrateful and made him old and crusty again.

As he positioned himself with Gryffindor's sword in one hand and his trusty wand in the other, Harry suddenly yelled, "No, Professor, don't fight her! She has –"

"- _**far**_ too much experience in battle, and it would be a _dreadful_ shame for her to kill you when I would really prefer to do it myself," Voldemort said smoothly. He threw Nyx a subtle glance, which she returned, to Jack's bewilderment. He had kept his mouth shut so far to avoid any foolish verbal blunders on his part, hoping that he wouldn't spoil the good luck he was having today with Nyx. But if she kept de-aging people like that, he would simply _have_ to annoy her until she explained how she did it.

"I am sorry, Harry, but I must," Dumbledore said kindly. "Please do not interfe-"

Nyx silenced him with a lunging strike, but he blocked her and quickly slid out of her way. Dumbledore sent a body-binding charm and a sword swing at her, but she leapt out of the way of both and tried to stab him in the leg. The auburn-haired wizard repelled her with a shield charm and she backed away, glaring at him.

Jack stared at the fighters with his mouth hanging open a little, wondering, _Why the hell hasn't she killed him yet? _He had no particular wish to see Dumbledore die, but Nyx had already been given at least ten chances to deliver a fatal blow. Being a master fencer with over 15 years of experience, Jack could not understand how an excellent swordsman like Nyx could have missed those opportunities. _…unless she's __**toying**__ with him. _That was the only explanation Jack could settle for, and from the way Nyx was attacking recklessly and defending lazily, it was very clear that she was not being serious.

While sealed off in his own head, Jack did not see someone toss Nyx's wand to her. His head whipped around, but no one appeared to have moved. An SM's reflexes, vastly superior to a human's, allowed Snape to move quickly enough not to be spotted; Nyx didn't want anyone to know that she had entrusted her original wand to him because she didn't want to hear certain people bitch about "why don't you trust me enough." Jack's attention was wrenched back to his master as she kicked Dumbledore back and, pointing her wand and sword at his head, she bellowed, _"Sectumsempra!"_

The wizard's legs crumpled and dropped him to the grass as the magnified curse sailed over his head, slicing his pointed hat in two. A ground-shaking crash followed as nearly ten trees behind him were separated from their roots, all from the force of that one spell.

"Did you like that?" Nyx laughed. "That's what happens when you use your wand and an enchanted sword at the same time. Isn't that wonderful? No one's used this technique since that sword was in the hands of its original owner. It was Gryffindor's specialty, or so I'm told."

Dumbledore released said sword to examine his head. When he found nothing missing, he faced his opponent once again with a look of furious determination. "You could have killed someone with that."

"That's the idea, you simple fool!" she replied, grinning. "Did you think this was just exercise?"

The Headmaster was nearing his breaking point. Dumbledore was slow to anger and very patient, but _this woman_… Everything she did and said rubbed him the wrong way. He didn't want to kill her, _truly_ he didn't…but, then again, he _did_. He hadn't felt like this about anyone in ages. Not even Voldemort made him want to commit murder; at least Dumbledore could believe that maybe, just _maybe_, there was some bit of humanity left in him. But this woman… She seemed as if she had been born without humanity, without a soul, and without a heart. That frightened him, and that was nearly impossible.

What's worse, he got the feeling that she was _trying_ to anger him. _The woman must be __**insane**__ to do that_, he thought as she grinned at him tauntingly. "I will warn you one final time, Miss. I do not wish to hurt you. All I will ask of you is to leave us in peace. I care not whether you harm me, but I will not allow you to risk the lives of innocent people. That last curse would have killed everyone standing behind me."

Nyx chuckled. "Didn't I make myself clear the first time? _**I**_ thought I did." She paused for a moment to twirl her wand in her fingers. "…all right. I'll humor you and your silly pacifism. If you can disarm me to the point where I can no longer fight, I will leave quietly. But keep in mind that just getting rid of my wand and sword won't be enough."

"Thank you for your cooperation, and the tip," Dumbledore replied dryly, raising his weapons again.

This time, _he_ was the one to strike first, and this time, Nyx did not block him. And as a result, she lost her left arm at the shoulder.

Snape cringed as the blade made a clean slice straight through the bone. Only a silver, goblin-made sword could cut through an SM like that, leaving her with nothing but a blackened stump. Knowing that she was fine, the DADA professor gave a small sigh for his beloved black robes that were now ruined because of her.

Nyx's dismembered arm flopped to the ground, letting her wand roll into the grass harmlessly, and she stared at it with great curiosity. She nudged it with her foot to hide the identification number, most of which she had scratched out of her skin, leaving only the intricately carved zero. She looked back up at Dumbledore and declared loudly, "'Tis but a scratch!"

"A scratch?" he repeated, dumbfounded. "Your arm's off!"

"No it isn't!"

"What's _that_, then?" He pointed at the twitching limb.

"I've had worse."

"You _liar_!"

"Come on, ya pansy!"

Jack gaped at her in utter disbelief, laughing very weakly. _Of all the times to start reciting Monty Python… She does make a good Black Knight, though…_

She and Dumbledore had begun to fight again. Nyx was being even more reckless now, barely bothering to block his attacks, but rather just jumping out of the way. But without both arms, she lost her balance and the tip of Gryffindor's sword pierced her left eye, effectively making it burst open from the force of the burning silver. Nyx yelped and fell back out of surprise. She quickly picked herself back up and glowered at her opponent with the only eye she had left.

"I'm going to have to take back what I said about disarming me," she said. "You're taking _much_ too long, and I'm feeling impatient today. Let's see if you can get in a fatal hit."

"Did you happen to notice your eye is missing?" he asked, becoming ever more alarmed at Nyx's behavior.

"Oh, that? It's just a flesh wound."

Jack put his head in his hands as he slid to the ground, groaning. _If she keeps this up, there won't be anything left of her for me to hug! I'd rather kiss __**Snape**__ than see that happen! John Cleese would love her right now, though._

"Very well," Dumbledore said uneasily. He wondered which way would be more humane for her to die, by wand or by sword. He would not Avada Kedavra her, though, because it was too Voldemort. Any other fatal curse would be painful and drawn-out. _Sword it shall be, then._

Energized by his returned youth, the once-elderly wizard attacked Nyx with a surprising amount of force, nearly knocking her own blade out of her hands. Taking the opportunity her exposed abdomen presented, Gryffindor's sword slashed through her, spilling her intestines and a river of blood. The searing pain momentarily stunned Nyx, but the Headmaster once again took his chance like a blessing and ran the ruby-encrusted sword through her heart, knocking her back and pinning her to a tree.

Nyx froze, moving only to tilt her head downward to see where the weapon had struck. She did not lift her eyes after that.

Dumbledore looked at the blood-soaked blade with regret. Tucking his wand into his robes, he turned away from her and said in a low voice, "I am sincerely sorry that there was no other way to end this."

Jack felt like his soul had left him. He had seen Nyx "die" once before at Voldemort's hands, when he came to the citadel right after Black Monday. A hundred Avada Kedavra's hadn't done the trick, but she was wearing that special armor then, too. Perhaps the armor had defended her from the spells. Either way, not even the armor would have protected her from a pierced heart.

As his fury mounted, he rose to his feet, brandished his wand, and prepared to curse Dumbledore into the next galaxy. Suddenly, a hand on his shoulder stopped him. The fingers on the hand were long, thin, and pale, almost spider-like.

Voldemort said quietly, "I would not act so rashly if I were you. Nyx would be very upset if you interfered with her fun."

Jack stared at him in horror as he dropped his wand, hoping to hell that what he thought was not true.

The deathly silence was split by laughter totally inappropriate for the situation. Dumbledore knew where it was coming from, and slowly turned to face Nyx, who was shaking with mirth, still pinned to the tree. It looked grotesque for her to be laughing with blood drenching her face from her gaping eye socket, a sword in her chest, an arm missing, and her guts spilling out.

The Headmaster staggered back as Nyx taunted him, "I can't believe you thought that would kill me! Didn't you realize from all those other wounds that _I'm invincible_?" She laughed harder than ever at her final impression of the Black Knight.

"B-but…_**how**_?" Dumbledore breathed. "Not even someone as powerful as _you_ could survive a wounded heart!"

She shrieked with laughter and would have collapsed if the sword wasn't forcing her to stand up. Grinning from ear to ear, she yanked it out of her chest and tossed it to the grass. And to the disgust of all, she pulled the wound open with her remaining hand and said cruelly, "How would an idiot like you expect to hit a target that isn't even there?" And, lo and behold, she really was telling the truth this time.

While she had everyone's attention, she disintegrated the black robes to reveal her restraining device. "Now you understand why my pain threshold is so high," she said in a matter-of-fact tone. "And because I myself can withstand an incredible amount of pain, I can stand to _witness_ an incredible amount of pain, too."

To hundreds of screams, Nyx's sword sent itself flying into Dumbledore's back, severing his spine and tearing a massive hole in one lung. The newly reddened blade quickly pulled itself out, allowing him to fall to the ground, gasping and shuddering. It floated back to Nyx's waiting hand as her detached arm crawled back to her. After commanding the sword to levitate along behind her, she picked up her poor arm and strode over to the dying Headmaster. A small group had already formed around him; three teachers were trying their best to heal him, but they became more and more frustrated as the proper spells had no effect on the bleeding.

"Move," Nyx said clearly. McGonagall looked up at her with a white, tear-streaked face. She couldn't believe that the girl she once prized as a Transfiguration Prodigy had just mortally wounded the revered Dumbledore. Only out of fear that there was nothing they could do for their Headmaster, and Nyx, who could very well kill them all without warning, she quietly asked everyone to obey her.

When his body was out in the open, Nyx looked down at the once-mighty Headmaster and laughed again. Without warning, she placed her dismembered hand on the wound and with a small flash of red light, it closed as if it had never been there at all. Dumbledore stared up at her in obvious shock.

"By the way," she said quietly. "Don't think I saved your life because I'm a nice person or I like you. Both are lies. As you so kindly informed me, you have no fear of death, so there's no fun in it for me if I kill you. I just needed to show you how very wrong you were about daring to underestimate me. Don't _**ever**_ do it again."

Dumbledore found himself saying, "I am truly sorry for mistreating you." He meant it, but he couldn't believe he had said it aloud.

"Whatever," she replied dismissively, wiping the sword off on her clothes. AB negative was nowhere near as tasty as AB positive, so she didn't feel guilty about wasting it. "I don't give two shits about you personally, so I don't care whether you're sorry or not. Not worth my time." He stood and walked quickly back to his comrades, mistakenly thinking that he was outside the "Death Zone."

The other teachers and students felt their hopes sinking into oblivion. They finally realized that if Dumbledore couldn't beat her, there was simply no way to prevent her from doing whatever she pleased. The "witnesses" from her trial prayed that she wouldn't honor them with a reenactment of what happened to the Ministry that morning.

Jack felt a great deal happier to know that Nyx had survived, despite the near heart failure it had given him. He was equally shocked, though, at Voldemort's actions and words. How could he have known that Nyx would survive? And why did he stop him from attacking Dumbledore? The 24-year-old could only come up with one explanation, and it made sense in theory, but he simply couldn't imagine it in reality.

His master began to speak again, loudly to make sure she was heard. "Now, I bet you're all wondering how I managed to survive all this dreadful abuse… As I said, I've had worse. And you can believe _that_ because I can heal myself from practically nothing, which is another way of saying that I'm basically impervious to all kinds of damage since none of it is permanent, and it's almost impossible to hit me with anything that can incapacitate me for any period of time."

Just as the words left her lips, something sliced through the air and planted itself in the side of Nyx's neck. Dropping her other arm, her attached hand clamped onto it instantly and yanked it out. Her face fell as she read the label on a small tranquilizer dart: "Blood Type B Negative, 15 mL."

Before she could move, though it would have done her little good because the restraining device was slowing her down so much, three more darts appeared out of thin air and lodged themselves in her arm, leg and stomach. Frantically, Nyx pulled them out, sensing that they had been protected against any magical attempt to avoid or destroy them, and hoping that none of that disgusting blood was getting inside her. Fifteen milliliters was enough to send her into a Blood Rebound. More and more darts were flying at her, and before she was able to pull them all out, it happened.

With a violent shudder, Nyx threw up a torrent of blood, gasping and choking as she tried in vain to breathe. She would have been crying form the pain, but there were already streams of blood leaking from her eyes (both the damaged one and the good one), ears and nose. Her disemboweled abdomen, too, was pouring blood. Even the stump where her arm had once been was oozing blood at a disturbing rate. Before long, she had collapsed to the ground, making a horrible gurgling noise as she struggled to breathe, still coughing and vomiting blood violently.

Jack was horrified at what he was seeing, even more so than everyone else, many of which were on the brink of being sick themselves. He didn't understand what was happening to Nyx, but every part of him was screaming at him to protect her. He stopped to listen to Snape say something to Slughorn; "Oh, no… That must be B negative in those darts. At this rate, she won't have _any_ blood left in about a minute…"

"Didn't you say you liked that kind, Severus?" the Potions Master asked hopefully, confusing Jack to no end. "Shouldn't you be over there helping the poor woman? I mean, it can't hurt you, right, old boy?"

"I'd be over there now if I knew that _**I**_ wasn't going to get hit with AB positive!" Snape hissed angrily. "If that happens, I'll be in the same state as _she_ is!"

Jack made up his mind in a matter of three seconds. Before anyone could stop him, he ran out onto the open lawn, just in time to catch four darts in his hand and arm. He plucked them out of his skin and tossed them to the ground casually, eyeing the trees at both ends of the lawn for the fools that dared to hurt his beloved Nyx. He said loudly, "Go ahead, keep firing if it'll amuse you. B negative is my blood type so I don't care how many darts I have to take. I can guarantee you that not one of them is going to hit her, though."

Nyx tried to look up at him as she lay twitching in a pool of blood, whimpering form the pain of having her blood forced out of her veins through every available opening. She wanted so badly to thank him, but all she could do was try to breathe and keep an eye out for any stray darts coming towards her. As she thought of ways she could thank him properly, dark figures began creeping out from beyond the tree line. There were only about a hundred of them, but Nyx began to worry a little as she faintly made out a white, intricately stitched "B.D." on the fronts of their black uniforms. _It seems that I didn't kill everyone in Black Dawn after all…_

Snape squirmed uncomfortably at the sight, but kept quiet and hidden amongst the evergreens. He felt disgust rise in him like bile when he saw the pretty, golden-haired, gray-eyed Sophia Luca – who did not look so nice with her hair unkempt, face deathly pale, and eyes with a wild look to them. She, along with her employees, carried a revolver-like contraption that, evidently, shot B-negative-filled darts.

As Sophia approached Nyx, Jack conjured a thin rapier and as he wielded it threateningly, stepped between this newcomer and his master. "You come any closer and I'll cut you in two without a second thought," he said in a deadly voice.

"You _fool_," the Head of Black Dawn whispered. "Don't you realize what we're doing? That _thing_ needs to be killed. _We_ have to kill it. _We_ are the only ones who _**can**_."

"Then kill me first," Jack demanded. "And don't use those stupid darts. You're wasting my time."

Sophia laughed a high, shrill laugh, staring at him. "Why would we want to kill _you_?"

"Because that's the only way you're going to get to Nyx," he growled. Nyx felt herself grin as Jack revealed his badass side. "I've been fencing for over 15 years of my life. I won a national tournament against _**adults**_ when I was only 16. Don't think I'll go easy on you because you're a woman, either. You look like a giant bitch and you probably are, so I doubt anyone would miss you."

The blonde woman stood there, gawking at him curiously. She asked softly, "Don't you know what that thing is?"

"That '_thing'_ is my boss and my friend, and if you continue to have a problem with it, I'll _**gladly **_beat the shit out of you while she heals, at which point I'll let her do as she pleases with you," Jack snarled, giving her his best death glare. Sophia actually shivered and stepped back a few paces.

"That's enough, Jack," Nyx said gently. "But I'm extremely grateful for your help. Thank you."

"No problem," he replied, smiling. He watched her slowly push herself up off the bloody grass, and wince as the final little spurt of blood left through her arm. "Do you need help with anything else?"

"As a matter of fact…yes," she said slowly, eyeing the Black Dawn soldiers as they pointed their dart guns at her, hoping to look menacing. "That man with the glasses and brown hair. Bring him over here. And get rid of his toy."

Jack did as he was told, knocking the gun out of the man's hands and cursing it into 500 pieces. He forced the frightened man to walk over to Nyx, and stopped when she ordered him to. "Now," she continued. "I can't stand quite yet, so I want you to come down here, sir. You look familiar…"

The man bent down near her bloodied face, quaking on the spot. "Oh, yes… Now I know who you look like: someone who's going to make up for all the blood I just lost."

The man's scream was cut short as Nyx's two-inch fangs sank into his throat, the force of which snapped his neck, paralyzing him so that he couldn't flail about. As she began draining him of his glorious AB positive blood rapidly, Jack had to look away because the sight made him feel nauseous. After seeing his sister's corpse, with the Dark Mark violently carved into her wrist, he had never been able to keep his stomach calm when watching someone bleed excessively. However, whenever he killed someone with his sword, he was able to move quickly enough to not look at the sight for long, so it wasn't a problem.

She was soon done, however, and said apologetically, "Sorry. This is probably a bit of a shock to you. It was my best intention to _tell_ you rather than _show_ you, but that didn't work out too well."

"Actually I can't say I'm that surprised," Jack replied, watching the man's corpse land on the ground with a thud. "I've suspected it for quite a few years now. I guess that explains why you don't look your age and you like Bloody Mary's so much."

Nyx laughed quietly as she picked up her severed arm and held it to the bloody wound, waiting for it to begin re-attaching itself. "Being a vampire, I can re-grow and re-attach my limbs as long as I have enough blood in me to start the healing process. It comes in _very_ handy. But sometimes it just isn't worth doing repairs when it would be wiser to just get everything new, you know? Like a car. A car is supposed to last for so many years, and during that time you get replacement parts and repairs, but after it's past its prime, it's usually cheaper and smarter to just get a new one altogether."

Jack really wasn't sure what she was talking about since he knew next to nothing about cars, but he decided not to interrupt her while she was enjoying her explanation. He was especially glad that he didn't say anything when Nyx suddenly became very irate and yelled, "damn it all to hell!" and chucked her arm at the ground.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked.

"It won't repair itself, and I _know_ I have enough blood to do it," she growled, glaring that the arm like everything was its fault. She paused to take a few deep breaths and release a few deep sighs. Standing up with some difficulty, she announced, "It seems this body has just about had it. To put it in layman's terms, I think I'm starting to rot. _That's_ wonderful. I'm not surprised, knowing what the poor old thing's been through. I just wish I could put it out of its misery…"

The words had barely left her when Voldemort raised his wand and fired a deadly curse at her. It connected with her chest and exploded into a flash of blinding white, fiery light.

Sophia screamed. _**"NO!"**_

But it was too late. When the light faded, all that was left of Nyx was a pile of gray ashes, with a huge pile of silver odds and ends mixed in. A breeze blew the dust into the air and over the lake until it was invisible against the perfect, cloudless blue sky.

A bolt of green light exploded form the tip of Jack's wand and connected with a Death Eater, killing him instantly. Said Death Eater had been hit only because Snape had levitated him in front of Voldemort, whom Jack would have hit dead-on. The latter was now running madly at the Dark Lord, fully intent on killing him to avenge Nyx. He had no idea what that spell was, but perhaps _this_ one was specially designed to kill vampires by destroying their bodies. After all, Nyx _said_ she could regenerate limbs, not her whole body. And Jack knew for a fact that when one's body is separated form their soul, that means that they are dead.

Snape hit him with a body freezing charm first, though. Jack was left in a mid-running stance, looking and feeling foolish, but he was too furious to care. The ex-Potions Master walked over to him briskly and snapped, "For god sakes, will you _get a __**grip**_?"

"_He __**killed**__ her, you fucking __**idiot**__!"_ Jack screamed.

"No, _you're_ the idiot," Snape replied rather calmly. "Answer me this; if the Dark Lord didn't kill her by ordering a hundred Death Eaters to Avada Kedavra her at the same time, and if Dumbledore didn't kill her by stabbing her, and if she can live without a heart in the first place, and if having nearly all of her blood removed didn't kill her, _**then what the hell makes you think being burnt to a crisp could have?"**_

Before Jack could try to say anything, the attention of all was drawn to the sky. It was still early afternoon, and yet the sky was turning dark with ominous, black storm clouds materializing as far as the eye can see. A sudden, icy wind picked up and made the air feel ten degrees colder. The dark water of the lake began to churn, drawing a few merfolk to the surface to see what was going on.

A bolt of lightening fell from the sky and landed behind the school, silhouetting a figure perched on the roof nearest to the lawn. A flash above the lake illuminated the front of the figure, revealing a fully regenerated and incredibly angry Nyx. She wore a peculiar outfit of skin-tight black with several narrow straps holding the pieces together. Her top had a wide sash-like section hanging off her shoulders, below which the fabric ended in an upside-down V, exposing her pale midriff. Two thin straps held the top up, connecting to a choker-like black ring around her neck. Two long, fingerless black gloves adorned her arms, nearly the exact same design of her "leg gloves" without fabric covering her heels or toes. A knee-length-or-thereabouts flowy skirt resting her hips was the strangest piece of clothing; where the hem ought to have been, the black fabric faded into a shadowy, smoky-ness that curled and waved in the breeze.

The dark fabric, however, did not conceal the dark, grayish-red scar on her chest where her heart had once been. The huge mark seemed to be there only to remind her that something was missing, because in any other case, Nyx would not have developed a scar no matter how bad the damage.

But the most unusual thing of all, even more so than her new outfit, was Nyx's hair. It was still long, a bit unruly, and wavy, but was no longer black. Instead, it was milk white. Almost everyone wondered if they were seeing things because she was not in fact a pile of ashes. But they saw that she was real as can be when she leapt off the roof and landed nimbly on the grass. Ignoring the stunned look Jack was giving her as Snape undid the freezing charm, Nyx stalked over to Sophia, who was literally shitting herself in terror.

Not moving her eyes, Nyx said clearly, "Thanks for burning off that deadweight, Tom. I knew I wouldn't quite be able to get it done myself."

"Yes, yes, just stop calling me that and we'll be even," Voldemort replied, looking disgusted. "Not that you _need_ to thank me, since I am not allowed to disobey orders and would have done it whether I received recognition or not…"

"_**What?"**_ Jack squeaked, gaping at Nyx, then at Voldemort, then back to Nyx.

"_**WHAT?" **_came the collective gasp from everyone else as they began to comprehend what was going on here.

His master turned around to give him a quizzical look, ignoring the rest, and suddenly realized what was wrong. "Oh, yes, about that… There's no gentle way to put this, so I'll be blunt. He works for me too. He has for, oh, about 52 years…"

Jack didn't hear the rest. His mind stopped on the fact that Voldemort was his coworker, not his enemy. His brain repeated it over and over again yet he could not grasp it. It was too far-fetched to be real, so his mind refused to believe it. The last thing he heard Nyx say was, "So, is that okay with you?"

"_**NO!**_ It is _**NOT**_ okay with me!" he screamed, practically having a conniption as he flailed around to emphasize his explanation. "He can't be an _ally_! He's your bloody _arch-nemesis_! _**Ally is not the same as arch-nemesis!**_ He can't be my _coworker_ because he's supposed to be the _enemy_ and that just doesn't make _sense_ because you hate his _guts_ and you told _**us**_ to hate his guts, and you _fought_ him before and you were trying to _kill_ each other and that's how it's supposed to _be_ and _HIS PEOPLE KILLED MY __**SISTER! HE**_ is responsible for the deaths of the friends and families of _**EVERYONE**_ working for you! How the _FUCK_ are you going to explain that to _them_, huh?"

For the way that Jack took the news, Nyx seemed very calm. She paused with her arms folded and asked, "Are you done?"

Panting from all the yelling he had just done, he replied, "…for now."

"Okay. Since I know that you stop listening once someone pisses you off enough, I'll repeat what I just said," she explained. "I said that Mr. Voldymuffin does indeed work for me, and he has for the last 52 years, and that means that all five thousand of his Death Eaters work for me as well, and that also means that, yes, all that animosity between us was staged (because I am just that good of an actress), and the whole thing with me accidentally killing Narcissa Malfoy is okay because I plan to resurrect her as an apology to her and her family, and I assumed that you would be okay with all of this because _he_ is 3rd-in-command. _You_, sir, have not been demoted in _any_ way."

Jack stared at her dumbly. "…oh."

"Yeah," Nyx muttered. "You need to do something about all of this impulsive behavior of yours. If I didn't know that you'd ignore half of what I said, I'd be _very_ upset with you right now."

"Um…I think…I'm…sorry?"

"You _should_ be," Voldemort sneered.

"Shut up, you," their master snapped. "Since when was anyone allowed to mouth off to a superior?"

The snake-like man's lips pursed together, feeling very shameful as Jack laughed at him and stuck his tongue out. "However," he added, turning to Nyx. "This does _**not**_ mean that I have to excuse him for murdering Anna, _OR_ that I think it's okay that _**you**_ made everyone look like complete idiots for 15-or-so years."

"Be glad _**I'm**_ the one that told you instead of someone else, or you might have heard about this sooner, which would have been a _very_ bad thing. Knowing _you_ in particular, you would have taken this news far worse from anyone else, at any time prior to today, for a number of reasons. Either way, I know how my being a pathological liar incenses you to no end, so think of the truth I tell you as my apologies for the lies I've told you and the things I didn't bother to mention at all," she replied, to Jack's (and Voldemort's) astonishment. "Ah, yes, that reminds me of another thing I've been meaning to talk to you about. A Death Eater did _**not**_ kill Anna. I know of _all_ the people he's put to death, and she was not one of them. I have a feeling that I might know who did it, but whoever _did_ do it only carved the Dark Mark into her wrist to make it _look_ like a Death Eater did it. Pinning the blame on a Death Eater would have been easy enough since no one would question it. Until I'm completely sure, I won't say anything more about the murderer, so don't ask me."

Jack fought back the urge to yell at her, "You've been talking to my bloody relatives, haven't you?"

Voldemort interrupted his thought to say, "I have no interest in being nice to you, superior or not, so do not waste my time by being nice to me."

"Don't worry. I never would have thought of such a thing," he replied.

Seeming to ignore him, he continued, "You probably would have accidentally found out about all this back in November, or whenever it was, when Nyx and I were supposed to meet and talk about some important business. But _no_, you had to be the party crasher and ruin everything. She was _**very**_ displeased with you, if I remember correctly."

Jack recalled the time he followed Nyx to that creepy graveyard and 'saved' her from the Death Eaters there, after which he found out that Nyx left him at the citadel for a reason. He _still_ felt embarrassed about that. He didn't have time to dwell on it, though, because Nyx had addressed the masses again.

"As I'm sure most of you have figured out by now, I happen to be gifted with many talents," she said. "One that I am particularly proud of is my ability to sense what a person fears most. My second-in-command, for example, is deathly afraid of drowning and sharks."

A few bystanders snickered, to which Jack snapped, "_You_ try seeing _JAWS_ when you're seven years old, and then have the idiotic uncle who took you to see it traumatize you by sneaking up behind you in a pool and dragging you underwater… I _never_ forgave that man… It's all _his_ fault that I can't go near water over three feet deep without going completely _berserk_…"

Voldemort laughed to himself and made a mental note in case he ever needed to blackmail his superior.

"So, if he ever made me angry enough, I could easily use that fear to torment him as punishment," Nyx went on. "With that said… I think I'll give you all a demonstration of exactly what I mean."

Quickly lifting a hand, she made Sophia levitate just off the ground, frozen as if paralyzed. Nyx sauntered over to her, grinning, her milky hair flowing behind her. As she stopped less than an arm's length away from the terrified woman, her hair swayed and split into long sections, tightening into thick coils of hair. Suddenly, the coils sprang up, revealing white snake heads at their tips, hissing and bearing their long fangs. Sophia shrieked and sobbed, pleading for her to stop; Nyx refused since torturing those afraid of snakes was always an extra pleasure for her, not to mention that she enjoyed looking like Medusa.

Watching the scene with mild interest, Jack asked no one in particular, "So…aside from the fact that she enjoys it…why is Nyx torturing that woman?"

"Well," she herself replied over the din Sophia was making. "It is because of her and her alone that I was in such a state earlier today."

Any hint of pity he may have felt for the blonde vanished like a puff of smoke. Anyone who hurt Nyx like that deserved to be tortured, maimed and killed in the worst ways possible, in his opinion. He continued while his master paused to ask, "Incidentally, that happened to your hair?"

"You know how stress and age lead to gray hair? It seems that an overload of stress, trauma and other such things causes _white_ hair, even when you're 18," she replied. "By the way, whenever I have to grow myself a new body, everything resets to my normal, unaltered body, and that includes the white hair. I dye it black because I was born with black hair, so it looks acceptable on me. But don't misunderstand me; I don't dye it because I'm displeased or even ashamed of how it looks. I just don't think I'd be believable as a person under 80 years old, which is extremely bad if I'm supposed to look 16.

"Sorry," she added, speaking exclusively to Jack. "I know it irritates you when people hide how they really look…or maybe it was only Ripley that bothered you."

"No, this is a completely different situation," he replied. "I'd be annoyed with you if you couldn't accept how you're supposed to look and had to cover it up to make yourself feel attractive. And for what it's worth, white hair doesn't look bad on you."

Snape caught Voldemort's attention as he kissed his fingers and patted them against his rear. The Dark Lord was also getting tired of Jack's "ass-kissing" and gave the back of his head a foul glare.

"Good, because I don't think I'd be able to stand another one of your outbursts today," Nyx replied, massaging her temple lightly. "At any rate, you see that pile of shiny junk over there?" She gestured to the heap of silver lying where she had been standing a short while ago. "_**All**_ of that was crammed inside me until I had my body burned off of it. It's pure silver, blessed by a bishop if not the pope himself. That's the only reason I wasn't fighting very well against dear old Dumbles a bit ago; it's terribly painful and it makes moving around a right chore. Having a particularly sharp piece stab you in the lung when someone was feeling a wee bit too huggy doesn't help, either, but I forgive said person because they didn't know any better and meant well by it."

Jack felt himself shrink in embarrassment and offered her a silent apology. Voldemort noticed this and looked distinctly angry, intensifying the death glare he was aiming at the back of his head.

"Seeing as I was in too much pain to remove it all myself in any reasonable length of time, I asked my faithful minion Voldymuffin to come and help me out," Nyx continued, purposely ignoring Jack for both their sakes. "But now that that crap is safe and sound out in the open…" Her hair morphed back into it's usual state, though it was still white, and she began waltzing on over to the silver pile. "…I can put it to _much_ better use."

Nyx waved her hands upward and flung them down violently, instantly forcing her nails to extend several inches beyond any normal length. She laughed and displayed them to her second-in-command, saying, "Look – nine inch nails!" He was very amused, but everyone else was simply wondering if the two of them had smoked anything unusual today because it didn't seem very funny at all.

Ignoring the odd looks, Nyx pulled the shining shrapnel into the air with a jerk of her wrist. Holding her wand in an awkward position thanks to her nails, she murmured a few words and the metal began glowing, heating up until it was a white-hot, molten blob. Using extreme caution, which surprised many people, Nyx dipped her elongated nails into the liquefied silver and quickly pulled them out. She was careful because she didn't want to get any molten silver on her skin, and thereby burn a hole through her brand-new body. Holding her wand in her teeth, Nyx nodded her head and her plated fingernails rapidly cooled and hardened into literal "finger swords."

With a triumphant laugh, Nyx brandished the little blades menacingly, twitching her fingers to experiment with her new weapon's capabilities. A quickly uttered spell made the remaining silver seal itself in a sort of fiery cocoon, in case she wanted to dip something else in it today.

Walking towards Sophia, who was still trapped a few inches off the ground, Nyx said venomously as she clicked her nails, "I also know that you have a particular fear of bleeding to death as a result of a wound made by an extremely sharp object. A kitchen knife would be more practical, but I'm here today to give these fine folks a good show, so work with me, okay? Now…I could simply stab you until you stop moving, but that would be over too quickly…I could cut your limbs off with just my nails, which would certainly be slow and agonizing, but I'm afraid you'd be dead before I finished…I've got it! I'll slice all of your skin off! Oh, that's _**perfect**_!"

As Nyx did a little victory dance, Sophia's face took on a peculiar expression. The white-haired woman stopped dancing about when she heard her laughing. Sophia cackled, sounding very much like Bellatrix, "I don't care! _I don't care!_ Kill me whatever way you please! I'd rather die by an animal than an intelligent human being!"

Nyx froze, staring at the foolish woman before her. "…she has a death wish."

Sophia quieted herself so that she could hear Nyx, who was speaking in a soft, deadly voice.

"She has a death wish," she repeated, sounding almost amazed and delighted, but at the same time furious. "Nothing else could make her send me over the edge like this. It isn't the fact that you called me an animal. It's the fact that you fucking _**morons**_ can't come up with anything better to insult me with. I don't know why…but it pisses me off more than _**anything**_ right now."

Jack kept his sharp eyes locked on his master. She said she was enraged, but…how could that be? He had always known that her temper was equivalent to a nitro-glycerin plant being tossed into an erupting volcano in the middle of a typhoon. _But this…somehow it's…__**worse**_

Everything about her had gone cold; she wasn't yelling and she wasn't out of control, but scariest of all was that she hadn't attacked anyone. Jack felt a sense of doom welling up inside him, like the calm before the storm of the century; the _worst_ side of Nyx's temper preparing to unleash itself on Sophia and what was left of Black Dawn.

"_Animal_, you say," Nyx hissed, staring down at her hands as if to see whether they looked human or not. "No…not animal…_Monster_." She licked her lips and swallowed uncomfortably, as if the word itself tasted foul. Clenching her fists, she growled, again almost to herself, "…no. Not a monster either."

"If you are not an animal…" Dumbledore asked, not sure whether he should speak gently or not. "…and you are not a monster…and you are clearly not a human…then what _**are**_ you?"

Thousands of eyes sent him a thankful glance for voicing the question they had all wanted to ask, but dared not to. A mere vampire could not attract this much attention from the Ministry. A mere vampire could not be as powerful as she was, unless she was Dracula himself, and that was impossible.

Nyx let loose a bark of laughter, turning her head to the auburn-haired wizard. Her twisted, toothy grin conveyed the rather sick pleasure she got from answering such an innocent question.

"I'm so _**glad**_ you asked. Now you will see the real reason why even the great and powerful Dark Lord Voldemort would fear me. "

--- to be continued in Chapter 37 : Superfreak---

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**Disclaimer:** Own not, profit not, sue not. (With exception of Nyx, Jack, Louis, SMS, the Beast, and anyone else I forgot.) 

**A/N: **OH SNAP! Nyx works with Voldy after all! -throws prizes to the people that guessed it before now- But believe me, this is just the tip of the iceberg where those two psychopaths are concerned. Next chapter will contain more revelations. Look forward to it. :3

Kudos to my lovely beta, Tiff.

**General Notes: **The chapter title, for the third time in a row and for nearly every other chapter left to write, came from the song by Rob Zombie. The song fits Nyx for obvious reasons, plus the guy himself looks a little crazy. XD

Just so you all know, I will probably have some minor Deathly Hallows spoilers in the story from here on, but don't worry: I won't reveal anything incredibly major, such as who wins, because I have no idea who has and hasn't read the book yet. The things I will likely reveal are interesting, but not plot-type spoilers (example: the Gray Lady. If you read DH, you know what I mean.). (I personally think all those people who read the online version and then ran around spoling it for everyone are pieces of shit that will probably end up burnin' in hell. I would know because I found out "Everything You'll Ever Need to Know About Deathly Hallows" THE NIGHT BEFORE I GOT THE BOOK. I did not sleep well because I was so angry at everything (I was having a bad day as it was). It was on YouTube for fuck's sakes! On a _music video_! WHAT DOES _THE OFFSPRING_ HAVE TO DO WITH _HARRY POTTER_? -spazzes out because she's still incredibly mad about this- )

I like it when Nyx de-ages people. It's fun. She'll go it again and again next chapter.

OH YEAHS, I TOTALLY PLANNED THAT THING WITH THE MONTY PYTHON-NESS IN IT BECAUSE I AM JUST THAT COOL. No actually it was an accident and my fingers were like "omg kewl" and typed it and I was like "woah, man, that's sweet" and the rest is history. :D

I already drew one bigass awesome pic with whitehair!Nyx in it, but it's of a scene that'll happen in chapter 40, and now that I'm thinking about it, I don't want to spoil it (though you can't figure much out from the pic alone, anyway) SO I will probably draw a different whitehair!Nyx pic and put that up on my LJ for y'all. Speaking of it, I did a gag pic of what Nyx really does with her detatched arm a while back, and I redesigned Jack's hair because I'm sick of drawing it the way I did because it looked like crap, such as in that first picture I talked about in this paragraph (but who knows, I might redesign my redesign because I eventually become unhappy with it).

The thing Voldy talks about where Jack was the party crasher was in chapter 7 when Nyx had to go to the old Riddle manor place thing to meet him and Jack was like "OMG YER GUNNA DIE I MUST SAVE YEW" and he ended up ruining everything unintentionally.

Okay, I admit it: Nyx's "finger-swords" came from a combination of X-2 and Fullmetal Alchemist, BOTH of which have a woman who can extend her nails all to hell and do some serious ass-kicking with them. X-2 refers to the Asian woman with the adamantium nails, FMA refers to Lust. Bah. They're still cool.

**Preview: **Nyx goes into a frenzy of badassness and showoffery! And eats things! ...and people! ...and...gets attacked? ...like, for reals? ...by someone that can actually hurt her? Woah, man. Woah.

**Final Words: **I really can't say when the next chapter will be up. The outline is finished and I've started to write it, but lately things have been crazy with me, and I've been on a drawing binge so I haven't typed much in a while. I start school again tomorrow, so hopefully I'll still be able to get some solid progress made before classes really get underway. From here on out, I can't think of any chapters that will be a pain in the neck to write, so at least I'll **_want_** to do it. ...now, the only problem with that is the fact that wanting to write more makes me write too much, and then I don't want to take things out and then we have a ten-thousand-word chapter again and I'm all pissed off at myself and you're all pissed off at me and life sucks. Buh. Chapters 37 and 38 will be longish but they should be the last ones like that until maybe some of the final chapters. I'll trim them down as much as possible, though.

Incidentally, the things I've been drawing are a big ole character sheet of every OC that has an important role in the fic (which is nearing completion, so yay for that because I'm extremely proud of it), and a correctly-scaled model of the SMS beastie that I scanned in (bless the creator of toothpicks because they're perfect for these sorts of things) and will use to draw the whole thing, because I feel really bad for only doing the bead up until now, and you'll all be needing a reference picture soon. (hint hint)

Also. Concerning reviews. Mega huge thanks to those that have given me some! To the rest of you...I have a feeling that after this chapter, you'll want to say something to me. Yay?

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

**---** **k**avi - **s**ama **---**

This should be the very last long chapter until the final chapters, which could have some longish ones


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